Kautilya's Arthashastra

Book XI: The Conduct of Corporations

Translated by R. Shamasastry

Contents:
Causes of dissension; secret punishment.

CHAPTER I. CAUSES OF DISSENSION; AND SECRET PUNISHMENT.

• THE acquisition of the help of corporations is better than the acquisition of an

army, a friend, or profits. By means of conciliation and gifts, the conqueror
should secure and enjoy the services of such corporations as are invincible to
the enemy and are favourably disposed towards himself. But those who are
opposed to him, he should put down by sowing the seeds of dissension
among them and by secretly punishing them.
• The corporations of warriors (kshattriyasrení) of Kámbhoja, and Suráshtra,
and other countries live by agriculture, trade and wielding weapons.
• The corporations of Lichchhivika,Vrijika, Mallaka, Mudraka, Kukura, Kuru,
Pánchála and others live by the title of a Rája.
• Spies, gaining access to all these corporations and finding out jealousy, hatred
and other causes of quarrel among them, should sow the seeds of a well-
planned dissension among them, and tell one of them: "This man decries
you." Spies, under the guise of teachers (áchárya) should cause childish
embroils among those of mutual enmity on occasions of disputations about
certain points of science, arts, gambling or sports. Fiery spies may occasion
quarrel among the leaders of corporations by praising inferior leaders in
taverns and theatres; or pretending to be friends, they may excite ambition in
the minds of princes by praising their high birth, though they (the princes)
are low-born; they may prevent the superiors from interdining and
intermarriage with others; they may persuade the superiors to interdine or to
intermarry with inferiors; or they may give publicity to the consideration of
priority shown to inferior persons in social intercourse in the face of the
established custom of recognising the status of other persons by birth,
bravery and social position; or fiery spies may bring about quarrel among
them at night by destroying the things, beasts, or persons concerned in some
legal disputes. In all these disputes, the conqueror should help the inferior
party with men and money and set them against the superior party. When
they are divided, he should remove them (from their country); or he may
gather them together and cause them to settle in a cultivable part of their
own country, under the designation of "five households" and "ten
households"; for when living together, they can be trained in the art of
wielding weapons. Specified fines should also be prescribed against any
treacherous combinations among them. He may install as the heir-apparent a
prince born of a high family, but dethroned or imprisoned. Spies, under the
guise of astrologers and others, should bring to the notice of the corporations
the royal characteristics of the prince, and should induce the virtuous leaders
of the corporations to acknowledge their duty to the prince who is the son of
such and such a king, and who is the hearer of their complaints. To those who
are thus prevailed upon, the conqueror should send men and money for the
purpose of winning over other partisans. On occasions of any affray spies
under the guise of vintners, should, under the plea of the birth of a son, of
marriage or of the death of a man, distribute as toast (naishechanika)
 hundreds of vessels of liquor adulterated with the juice of madana plant. Near
the gates of altars (chaitya), temples, and other places under the watch of
sentinels, spies should pretend to declare their agreement (with the enemy of
the corporations), their mission, their rewards, and bags of money with the
golden seals of the enemy; when the corporations appear before the spies,
they may tell the corporations that they (the spies) have sold themselves to
the enemy, and challenge the corporations for war. Or having seized the
draught animals and golden articles belonging to the corporations, they may
give the most important of those animals and articles to the chief of the
corporations, and tell the corporations, when asked for, that it was given to
the chief (for the purpose of causing quarrel among them).
• This explains the method of sowing the seeds of dissension in camps and
among wild tribes.
• Or a spy may tell a self-confident son of the chief of corporations: "You are
the son of such and such a king and are kept here under the apprehension of
danger from enemies." When he is deluded with this belief, the conqueror
may help him with men and money and set him against the corporations.
When the object in view is realised, the conqueror may also banish him.
• Keepers of harlots or dancers, players, and actors may, after gaining access,
excite love in the minds of the chiefs of corporations by exhibiting women
endowed with bewitching youth and beauty. By causing the woman to go to
another person or by pretending that another person has violently carried her
off, they may bring about quarrel among those who love that woman; in the
ensuing affray, fiery spies may do their work and declare: "Thus has he been
killed in consequence of his love."
• A woman who has disappointed her lover and has been forgiven, may
approach a chief and say: "This chief is troubling me when my mind is set
upon you; when he is alive, I cannot stay here," and thus induce the former
to slay the latter.
• A woman who has been violently carried off at night may cause the death of
her violator in the vicinity of a park or in a pleasure house, by means of fiery
spies or with poison administered by herself. Then she may declare: "This
beloved person of mine has been killed by such and such a person."
• A spy, under the garb of an ascetic, may apply to a lover such medical
ointments as are declared to be capable of captivating the beloved woman
and as are adulterated with poison; and then he may disappear. Other spies
may ascribe the incident to an enemy's action.
• Widows or women, employed as spies with secret instructions, may dispute
among themselves about the claim for a deposit kept with the king, and
attract the chiefs of the corporations (by their beauty when they present
themselves before the king).
• Harlots, or a dancing woman, or a songstress may make an appointment to
meet a lover in some secret house; and when the lover comes to the house
with the desire of meeting her there, fiery spies may kill him or carry him off
bound (in chains).
• A spy may tell the chief of a corporation who is fond of women: "In this
village, the family of a poor man is bereaved (of the householder); his wife
deserves to be the wife of a king; seize her." Half a month after she has been
seized, an ascetic spy may accuse the chief in the midst of the corporation by
saying: "This man has illegally kept my chief wife, or sister-in-law, or sister,
or daughter." If the corporation punishes the chief, the conqueror may take
the side of the corporation and set it against wicked persons. Fiery spies
 should always cause an ascetic spy to go abroad at night. Spies, selected
suitably, should accuse (the chiefs) by saying: "This man is the slayer of a
Bráhman and also the adulterer of a Bráhman woman."
• A spy, under the guise of an astrologer, may describe to a chief the destiny of
a maiden who is at the point of being married to another, and say: "This
man's daughter deserves to be the wife of a king and will bring forth a son,
destined to be a king; purchase her with all your wealth, or seize her by
force." When it is not possible to secure her, spies should enrage the parties;
but when she is secured, quarrel will necessarily ensue.
• A mendicant woman may tell a chief who is fond of his wife: "This (another)
chief, proud of his youth, has sent me to entice your wife; being afraid of him,
I have taken with me his letter and jewellery (for your wife); your wife: is free
from sin; secret steps should be taken against him; and I am very anxious
(about your success)."
• Thus in these and other kinds of brawls which have originated of themselves
or which have been brought about by spies, the conqueror should help the
inferior party with men and money and set them against the wicked or cause
them to migrate (to other parts of the country).
• Thus he should live as the only monarch of all the corporations; the
corporations also, under the protection of such a single monarch, should
guard themselves against all kinds of treachery.
• The chief of corporations should endear himself to all the people by leading a
virtuous life, by controlling his passions, and by pursuing that course of action
which is liked by all those who are his followers.

[Thus ends Chapter I, "Causes of Dissension, and Secret Punishment," in

Book XI, "The Conduct of Corporations," of the Arthasástra of Kautilya. End
of the hundred and thirty-fifth chapter from the beginning. With this ends
the eleventh Book, "The Conduct of Corporations," of the Arthasástra of
Kautilya.]