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MARCH, 1910.)
THE ARTHASASTRA OF CHANAKYA.
91
My teacher says that of enthusiasm and power, enthusiasm is better: a king, himself energetic, brave, strong, free from disease, skilful in wielding weapons, is able with his army as a secondary power to subdue a powerful king; his army, though small, will, when led by him, be capable of turning out any work. But a king who has no enthusiasm in himself, will perish though he is powerful and possessed of a strong army.
No, says Kautilya: he who is possessed of power over-reaches, by the sheer force of his power, Another who is merely enthusiastic. Having acquired, captured, or bought another enthusiastic king as well as brave soldiers, he can make his enthusiastic army of horses, elephants, chariots, and others to move anywhere without obstruction. Powerful kings, whether women, young men, lame, or blind, conquered the earth by winning over or purchasing the aid of enthusiastic persons.
My teacher says that of power (money and army) and skill in intrigue, power is better; for a king, thongb posbessed of skill for intrigue, (mantrašakti), becomes a man of barren mind if he has no power; for the work of intrigue is well defined. He who has no power loses his kingdom as sprouts of seeds in drought vomit their sap.
No, says Kautilya : skill for intrigue is better; he who has the eye of knowledge and is acquainted with the science of polity can with little effort make use of his skill for intrigue and can succeed by ineans of conciliation and other strategic means and by spies and chemical appliances in over-reaching even those kings who are possessed of enthusiasm and power. Thus of the three acquirements, viz., enthusiasm, power, and skill for intrigue, he who possesses more of the quality mentioned later than the one mentioned first in the order of enumeration will be successful in over-reaching others.
Country (space) means the earth; in it the thousand ynjanas of the northern portion of the country that stretches between the Himalayas and the occan for the dominion of no insignificant emperor ; in it there are such varieties of land, as forests, villages, waterfalls, level plains, and uneven grounds. In such lands, he should undertake such works as be considers to be conducive to his power and prosperity. That part of the country, in which his army finds a convenient place for its manoeuvre and which proves unfavourable to his enemy, is the best ; that part of the country which is of the reverse nature, is the worst; and that which partakes of both the characteristics, is a country of middling quality.
Time consists of cold, hot, and rainy periods. The divisions of time are: the night, the day, the fortnight, the month, the season, solstices, the year, and the Yuga (cycle of 5 years). In these di visions of time he should undertake such works as are conducive to the growth of his power and prosperity. That time which is congenial for the manoeuvre of lis army, but which is of the reverse nature for his enemy is the best ; that which is of the reverse nature is the worst; and that which possesses both the characteristics is of middling quality.
My teacher says that of strength, place, and time, strength is the best; for a man who is possessed of strength can overcome the difficulties due either to the unevenness of the ground or to the cold, hot, or rainy periods of time. Some say that place is the best for the reason that a dog, seated in a convenient place, can drag a crocodile and that a crocodile in low ground can drag a dog. Others say that time is the best for the reason that during the day-time the crow kills the owl and that at night the owl the crow.
No, says Kautilya: of strength, place, and time, each is helpful to the other ; whoever is possess. ed of these three things should, after having placed one-third or one-fourth of his army to protect bis base of operations against his rear-enemy and wild tribes in his vicinity and after having taken with him as much army and treasure as is sufficient to accomplish bis work, march during the month of Margasiraha (December) against his enemy whose collection of food-stuffs is old and insipid and who has not only not gathered fresh food-stuffs, but also not repaired his fortifications,
