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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1909.
If any two kings hostile to each other find the time of achieving the results of their respective works to be equal, they shall make peace with each other.
No king shall keep that form of policy, which causes him the loss of profit from his own works, but which entails no such loss on the enemy; for it is deterioration.
Whoever thinks that in the course of time his loss will be less than his acqnisition as contrasted with that of his enemy, may neglect his temporary deterioration.
If any two kings hostile to each other and deteriorating, expect to acquire equal amount of wealth in equal time, they shall make peace with each other.
That position in which neither progress nor retrogression is seen is stagnation.
Whoever thinks his stagnancy to be of a sborter duration and his prosperity in the long run to be greater than his enemy's may neglect bis temporary staguation.
My teacher says that if any two kings, who are hostile to each other and are in a stationary condition, expect to acquire equal amount of wealth and power in equal time, they sball make peace with each other.
"Of course," says Kautilya," there is no other alternative."
Or if a king thinka :
"That keeping the agreement of peace, I can undertake productive works of considerable importance and destroy at the same time those of my enemy; or apart from enjoying the results of my own works, I shall also enjoy those of my enemy in virtue of the agreement of peace; or I can destroy the works of my evemy by employing spies and other secret means; or by bolding out such inducements as a happy dwelling, rewards, remission of taxes, little work, and large profits and wages, I can empty my enemy's country of its population, with which he has been able to carry on his own works; or being allied with a king of considerable power, my enemy will have his own works destroyed; or I can prolong my enemy's hostility with another king whose threats drove my enemy to seek my protection; or being allied with me, my enemy can barass the country of another king who hates me; or oppressed by another king, the subjects of my enemy will immigrate into my country, and I can, therefore, achieve the results of my own works very easily; or being in a precarious condition due to the destruction of his works, my enemy will not be so powerful as to attack me; or by exploiting my own resources in alliance with any two (friendly) king, I can augment my resources; or if a Circle of States is formed by my enemy as one of its members, I can divide them and combine with the others; or by threats or favour, I can catch hold of my enemy, and when he desires to be a member of my own Circle of States, I can make him incur the displeasure of the other members and fall a victim to their own fury," - if a king thinks thus, then he may increase his resources by keeping peace.
Or if a king thinks :
“That as my country is full of born soldiers and of corporations of fighting ven, And as it possesses such natural defensive positions as mountaias, forests, rivers, and forts with only one entrance, it can easily repell the attack of my enemy; or having taken my stand in my impregnable fortress at the border of my country, I can harass the works of my enemy; or owing to internal troubles and loss of energy, my enemy will early suffer from the destruction of his works; or when my enemy is attacked by another king, I can induce his subjects to immigrate into my country," then he may augment his own recources by keeping open hostility with such an enemy.