Verse 9.298

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

चारेणोत्साहयोगेन क्रिययैव च कर्मणाम् ।
स्वशक्तिं परशक्तिं च नित्यं विद्यान्महीपतिः ॥ २९८ ॥

cāreṇotsāhayogena kriyayaiva ca karmaṇām |
svaśaktiṃ paraśaktiṃ ca nityaṃ vidyānmahīpatiḥ || 298 ||

The king shall constantly ascertain his own and his enemy’s strength through spies, through display of energy and also through the actual carrying out of undertakings.—(298)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The King shall always keep himself informed of his own and his enemy’s strength. He should find out.—‘What does he intend to do?’—‘What is he able to do against me?’—‘What am I able to do against him?’

“How is all this to be ascertained?”

(a) ‘Through spies’—as described under Discourse VII;—(b) ‘Through display of energy’— when a King rewards men they are happy and become imbued with energy, and carrying on their agricultural operations successfully, reap rich harvests [and this shows the King’s power].—(c) ^‘Through the actual carrying out of undertakings;’—such undertakings as the disposition of armies and so forth, which are indicative of the enemy’s strength; as all these are signs of material prosperity, and from this is all strength derived.—(298)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 328).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.298-300)

Kāmandaka (12.26 etc.).—‘Sly spies, disguised as ascetics, traders or artisans, should go out in all directions, apprising themselves of the opinion of the world. Spies well-informed in everything should every day come to and go away from the King; as they are the eyes of the King and enable him to see distant things.’