Verse 9.264-266

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

सभाप्रपाऽपूपशालावेशमद्यान्नविक्रयाः ।
चतुष्पथांश्चैत्यवृक्षाः समाजाः प्रेक्षणानि च ॥ २६४ ॥
जीर्णोद्यानान्यरण्यानि कारुकावेशनानि च ।
शून्यानि चाप्यगाराणि वनान्युपवनानि च ॥ २६५ ॥
एवंविधान्नृपो देशान् गुल्मैः स्थावरजङ्गमैः ।
तस्करप्रतिषेधार्थं चारैश्चाप्यनुचारयेत् ॥ २६६ ॥

sabhāprapā'pūpaśālāveśamadyānnavikrayāḥ |
catuṣpathāṃścaityavṛkṣāḥ samājāḥ prekṣaṇāni ca || 264 ||
jīrṇodyānānyaraṇyāni kārukāveśanāni ca |
śūnyāni cāpyagārāṇi vanānyupavanāni ca || 265 ||
evaṃvidhānnṛpo deśān gulmaiḥ sthāvarajaṅgamaiḥ |
taskarapratiṣedhārthaṃ cāraiścāpyanucārayet || 266 ||

Assembly-rooms, water-drinking booths, sweetmeat shops, brothels, taverns and victualler’s shops, cross-roads, trees of worship, festive gatherings and theatres;—(264)

Old gardens, forests, shops of artisans, uninhabited houses, groves and gardens;—(265)—these and similar places the king shall cause to be guarded by companies of soldiers, stationary as well as patrolling, and also by spies,—in order to keep away thieves.—(266)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

(verses 9.262-273)

(No Bhāṣya)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verse 9.264)

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 336), which adds the following notes:—‘Apūpaśālā’ is the place where cakes are sold;—‘veśa,’ the house of the prostitute;—‘madyānnavikraya,’ places where wines and grains are sold;—‘caityavṛkṣa,’ large tree;—‘samāja,’ must be taken as standing for assemblages other than the ordinary ‘sabhā’ or meeting place, this latter having been already mentioned; such other assemblages also are likely to be frequented by thieves; —‘prekṣaṇa’ are places of dancing and other amusements.

It is quoted in Aparārka (p. 841).

(verse 9.265)

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 841);—and in Vivādaratnākara (p. 336), which explains ‘Kārukāveśanāni’ as the shops of artisans.

(verse 9.266)

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 841);—and in Vivādaratnākara (p. 336), which adds the following notes:—‘Gulmaiḥ’, companies of soldiers;—these are qualified by the epithet ‘sthāvarajaṅgamaiḥ’; the meaning thus is ‘by companies of soldiers, located in a fixed place; as well as, operating in moving columns’;—‘cāraiḥ etc.,’ for the prevention of theft the king should have all possible haunts of thieves watched by spies.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.264-269)

Nārada (Vivādaratnākara, pp. 335 and 337).—‘The King shall search for thieves on roads passing on boundaries, and in places inhabited by dishonest men as bad as thieves; he shall make a search in villages through Caṇḍālas and executioners and other persons who may he in the habit of moving about at night...... He shall have the thieves shadowed by variously disguised spies clover in the art of catching thieves, and other trustworthy persons. These spies shall employ by gifts those who have been thieves in the past, and with the advice of these men, they shall arrange to meet the thieves. If some of these do not come to meet them, they shall be at once arrested along with their sons and relations.’