Verse 9.275

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

राज्ञः कोशापहर्तॄंश्च प्रतिकूलेषु च स्थितान् ।
घातयेद् विविधैर्दण्डैररीणां चोपजापकान् ॥ २७५ ॥

rājñaḥ kośāpahartṝṃśca pratikūleṣu ca sthitān |
ghātayed vividhairdaṇḍairarīṇāṃ copajāpakān || 275 ||

Those who rob the king’s treasuries and those who are disaffected towards him, as also those who conspire with his enemies,—the king shall strike with various forms of punishment.—(275)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Treasury’—the place where the king’s riches are stored; those who rob this are to be put to death, irrespectively of the quality or quantity of the property stolen.

Those also who behave disaffectedly towards him;—for instance, those who obstruct the king’s attempts to import such rare foreign articles, as the coal-black horse which is rare for Easterners, or the elephant, which is rare for the Northerners,—or try to turn his friends into enemies, and try to bring about an alliance of these with his enemies,—and thus ‘conspire with his enemies’— and egg them on;—these he shall put to death.

It has been already explained that since the penalty is meant for the accomplishment of a definite purpose of the King, it need not always be actual death.—(275)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 853), which notes that ‘rājñaḥ’ is to be construed with each of the other terms;—again on p. 864, it adds the following notes:—‘Upajāpakāḥ’ supporters,—‘Vividhaiḥ daṇḍaiḥ’ i.e. every form of punishment should be inflicted in accordance with the nature of the offence.

It is quoted in Mitākṣarā (2.302), which explains ‘vividhaiḥ daṇḍaiḥ’ as ‘such penalties as confiscation of the entire property, cutting off of limbs and death;’—in Vivādaratnākara (p. 367), which explains ‘koṣa’ as the ‘king’s amassed wealth’,—and ‘upajāpakān’ as persons creating dissension in the kingdom (among the soldiers, ‘virāṇām’ which is its reading for ‘arīṇām’);—in Vyavahāramayūkha (p. 110);—in Parāśaramādhava (Vyavahara, p. 395);—in Vyavahāra-Bālambhaṭṭī (p. 991);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra 225b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Kātyāyana (Vivādaratnākara, p. 368).—‘Those who are addicted to amusements reserved for the King, those who take upon themselves the functions of the King, and those who talk ill of the King, all these shall suffer corporal punishment.—Those who assume the appearance of the King, those who amuse themselves during the hours of work, those who extort exorbitant taxes, and those who steal the King’s wealth,—should suffer diverse forms of corporal punishment.’

Viṣṇu (Do., p. 369).—‘Those who, not belonging to the royal family, seek to obtain the kingdom should be put to death.’

Vyāsa (Parāśaramādhava-Vyavahāra, p. 395).—‘Those Judges who, on receiving bribes, decide a case unjustly, those who injure the King’s property, those who live on bribes,—these the King shall banish, after having confiscated all their property.’