Story of Caturupāyam

The four means used by Kings in olden times to achieve their objects are called Caturupāyam. Sāma, dāna, bheda and daṇḍa are the Caturupāyas (four tactics). There are three other upāyas also, almost equally important as the first four, and the seven upāyas are collectively called Saptopāyas. There are also yet other upāyas, but they are not important enough to merit special mention.

Sāma.

It is the best means to attract and convert others to one’s side. It consists in winning people with sweet words and looks. People who are friendly by temperament and straightforward may be brought round by sāma. Sāma is employed in dealing with sons, brothers and other relatives.

Dāna.

There are five kinds or varieties of dāna (gift) viz. prītidāna, dravyadāna, svayaṃgrāha, deya and pratimokṣa. If a person gets help from another and acknowledges help by reward that reward is called prītidāna. The miser and the poor should be brought round by prītidāna. Military captains, heroes and citizens should be won over by this dāna. Those who fall at feet should be honoured by dāna.

Bheda.

Bhedopāya is of three kinds: to destroy or end the friendship subsisting between people, to create dissension and to make the parties quarrel with each other. He who is falsely praised, he who does not desire wealth or welfare, he who has been invited to come and then insulted, traitor to king, he who has been exorbitantly taxed, the angry one, the honourable one, the insulted, the unreasonably forsaken one, he who harbours hatred in his mind, the pacified one, one whose wealth and wife have been taken away or stolen, he who has not been respected though deserving of respect-if such people are in one’s opposite camp, suspicion should be raked up among them and thus division created in their ranks. If subordinate chieftains, and forest tribes commit offences they should be brought round by the use of sāma and bheda upāyas.

Daṇḍa.

Daṇḍopāya is of three kinds, viz, killing, denuding of wealth, and inflicting pain on the body or torture. Daṇḍa has two other forms, prakāśa (open) and aprakāśa (secret). Those who have become objects of hatred to all people should be subjected to prakāśadaṇḍa. People, whose killing the world will detest, should not be killed openly, but only secretly. Enemies should be killed with weapons etc. Brahmins should not be killed. Friends and allies should not be subjected to daṇḍa; friends, who are made objects of daṇḍa will wither away like worm-eaten trees. The King, who possesses the three powers (of wealth, army and people’s support) and is fully conscious of the time and environmental factors should annihilate enemies by the instrument of daṇḍa. Evil people should be defeated by daṇḍa itself.

The upāya māyā consists in practising deception by magic or other yogic powers. The powers can be acquired by the worship of the idols of certain Devatās. People who employ go about at night in various disguises. They disguise themselves as beautiful women or even as animals. They also deceive people by creating illusions of clouds, fire or lightning. For instance, Bhīma killed Kīcaka by going to him in the guise of a woman. Not to dissuade people who indulge in unjustifiable grief, war etc. is the principal aim of the upāya called upekṣā. Hiḍimbī gave up his brother Hidimba by practising Upekṣā. Next is the Indrajālopāya (magic). For example, to create illusions of clouds, darkness, rain, fire, and other magic in order to instil fear among troops of the enemy etc. To scare the enemy is the aim of Indrajāla. (For details of Caturupāyas see Kaṇika). (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 241).