Shishupala-vadha (Study)
by Shila Chakraborty | 2018 | 112,267 words
This page relates ‘Spies in the Manusamhita� of the study on the Shishupala-vadha (in English) in the light of Manusamhita (law and religious duties) and Arthashastra (science of politics and warfare). The Shishupalavadha is an epic poem (Mahakavya) written by Magha in the 7th century AD. It consists of 1800 Sanskrit verses spread over twenty chapters and narrates the details of the king of the Chedis.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Spies in the ѲԳܲṃh
To protect the kingdom and the realm the king should perform some duties. Lord Manu �
dūtasaṃpreṣaṇa� caiva kāryaśeṣa� tathaiva ca |
Գٲ� puraṃca praṇidhīnāñca ceṣṭitam || 7.153 ||[1]“[He should deliberate] also, on the deputation of envoys, the execution of the undertakings, the whereabouts of the ladies of the harem and the doings of the spies.�[2]
In this context, commentator Kullūkabhatṛtṛa� said about the appointment of spy.�
“cārāṇāñca pratidiṣu niyukrānā� carāntaraiścepṭitamavadhārayet � |
ѱپٳ commented about this:
“praṇidhīnāñca kāpaṭikādīnā� vā parasparābhiceṣṭita� cintayet � |
Here ṇi means cara or spy. As we have noticed elsewhere Manu does not mention the qualifications of Pranidhi or spy. Kauṭily has a most comprehensive treatment on the subject. It is worthy of notice that Kullūka has referred to a five fold classification of spies and described them in dtails.
Beside this, Manu also said about the compulsory duty of the king.
ṛtԲ� ṣṭ� karma 貹ññ ٲٳٱٲ� anurāgāparāgau ca � maṇḍalasya ca ||� 7.154 ||[3]
“[He should deliberate], also on the entire eight fold acts, the fivefold group [of spies] correctly, the affection or disaffection [of his enemies servants and etc.] and the conduct of the circle [of the neighbouring kings.�[4]
In this context, ‘Manu� used the technical term ʲñ. Here ʲñ means the five fold groups of spies. They are 貹ṭi첹, ܻٳٲ, ṛh貹پⲹñᲹԲ, vaidehika ⲹñᲹԲ and 貹 ⲹñᲹԲ.
But, commentator ‘ܱū첹ṭṭ� presents and elaborates discourse on the nature and functions of the five kinds of spies, which are 貹ṭi첹, ܻٳٲ, ṛh貹پⲹñᲹԲ, vaidehika ⲹñᲹԲ and 貹 ⲹñᲹԲ.
ܱū첹ṭṭ says in his commentary�
“k貹ṭiǻٳٲ�ṛh貹پ—vaidehika—貹—vyañjanātmaka� pañcabidha� cāravarga� 貹ñśavdavācya� tattvataścintayet | tatra paramadharmajña� pragalbhacchātra� kapaṭavyavahāritvāt 貹ṭi첹sta� vṛttyarthinamarthamānābhyāmupagṛhya rahasi vruyāt “yasya ܰṛtٲ� paśyasi tattadānīmeba mayi vaktavyamiti | pravrajyārūḍhapatita ܻٳٲ�, ta� lokeṣu viditadoṣa� prajñāśaucayukraṃvṛttyarthina� ñٱ rahasi ū vruyāt vahūtpattikamaṭhe sthapayet | pracuraśasyotpattika� bhūmyantarañca tadvṛttyarthamupakalpayet | sa cānyeṣāmapi pravrajitānā� rājacārakarmakāriṇāṃ grāsācchādanādika� dadyāt | 첹ṣa첹� kṣīṇavṛtri� prajñāśaucayukro ṛh貹پⲹñᲹԲstamapi pūrvavaduktvā svabhūmau kṛṣikarma kārayet | ṇiᲹ첹� kṣīṇavṛtti� vaidehikaⲹñᲹԲsta� pūrvavaduttcā dhanamānābhyāmātmīkṛtya ṇiⲹ� kārayet |� muṇḍo jaṭilo vā vṛttikāmas貹ⲹñᲹԲ�, so'pi kvacidāśrame vasan vahumuṇḍajaṭilāntarakapaṭaśiṣyagaṇavṛto guptarājopakalpitavṛtti� 貹ⲹ� ܰ, � dvimāsāntarita� ś� vadarādimuṣṭimaśnīyāt, rahasi ca rājopakalpita� yatheṣṭamāhāra� kalpayet | śiṣyāścāsyātītānāgatajñānādika� khyāpayeyu� | tena vahulokaveṣṭanamāsādya sarveṣāṃ viśvāsanīyatvāt sarve kāryamakāryañca pṛcchanti | anyasya ca kukriyādika� kathayantyevaṃrūpa� 貹ñ� yathāvaccintayet | eva� 貹ñ� prakaḍpya tenaiva 貹ñdvāreṇa patirājasyātmīyānāñcāmātyadīnāmanurāgavirogau ñٱ tadanurupa� cintayet | vakṣyamāṇasya ca Ჹṇḍsya � ka� sandhyarthī ko vā vigrahārthītyadika� cintayet | tañca ñٱ tadanuguṇa� cintayet | �
“The spies would act under the guise of these men. A 貹پ첹 means an intelligent student capable of reading the thoughts of others through false behaviour. The king should win over such a man to his service and speak to him in secret in the following manner—“please keep me informed of any defect that you may notice in my administration�. An ascetic who has violated his vows is known as �ٳٲ�. The king; finding him to be a wise and pure man whose weaknesses have yet remained unexposed to the people, should employ him in his service with secret instruction (like the 貹پ첹). He would place the man at the top of a monastery yielding a large income and would also give him large tracts of lands producing abundant crop so that he may give shelter to other disguised mendicants who are in the espionage of the king. A ṛh貹پ is a distressed agriculturist. The king finding him to be a man of intelligence and possessed of pure character, make provisions for his better livelihood and employ him in his work with secret instructions. Similarly a vaidehika is a decayed merchant fallen into rainy days. The king should grant vast amount of wealth and land to him and engage him in his service with instructions as before. A 貹 is a false ascetic with paraphernalia of matted locks and surrounded by a group of fictitious disciples who are in the habit of propagating his knowledge of past and future. His uncommon austerities and mystic powers, his habit of taking handful of plums at an interval of two months and so on. His meal would be secretly sent by the king and he would try to secure information regarding the whereabouts of wicked persons as they confess to him on account of his occupying the privileged position.�[5]
Commentator ‘ѱپٳ�; commented about ʲñ�
1. “paramadharmajñā� pragalbhachātrā� kāpaṭikāstānarthamānābhyāmupasaṃgṛhya Գٰī pruyāt �na� ñ ṇa� ṛt yatra yadakuśala� tat tadānīmevācchātavya� tvaye� ti |
2. pravrajyāyā� pratyavasita ܻٳٲ�, sa ca prajñāśaucayukra�, sarvānnapradānasamarthāyā� bhūmau prabhūtahiraṇyāyā� dāsakarma kārayet | kṛṣikarmaphala� tacca sarvapravrajitānā� grāsācchādanāvasathān pratividadhyāt, teṣāṃ ye vṛttikāmāstānupajapedevametenaiva vṛttena rthaścaritavyobhakravetanakāle copasthatavyamiti | sarvapravrajitā� sva� sva� karmopajapeyu� |
3. karṣako vṛttikṣīṇa� prajñāśaucayukroṛh貹پⲹñᲹԲ�, sa kṛṣikarma ܰ岹, yathokrāyā� bhūmāviti |
4. vāṇijiko vṛttikṣīṇa� prajñāśaucayukrovaidehikaⲹñᲹԲ�, sa kṛṣikarma kuryād, yathokrāyā� bhūmāviti samānam |
5. muṇḍo jaṭilo vā vṛttikāma� 貹ⲹñᲹԲ�, sa nagarābhyāse prabhūtajaṭilamuṇḍāntevāsivṛta� ś첹� yavamuṣṭi� vā māsāntarita� prakāśamaśnīyāddharmavyājena ḍh� yatheṣṭamāhāram | 貹vyañjanāntevāsinaścaina� prasiddhayogairarthalābhamagre śiṣyāścādiśeyu� | � ܰⲹ� duṣṭavadhañca videśaprabṛttamidamadya śvo vā bhaviṣyatīda� vā kariṣyatīti tasya gūḍhamantriṇastatprayukrā� sampādayeyu | ye cāsya rājño vaṃśalakṣaṇavihyā� saṅgavidyā� jambhakavidyā� māyāgatamāśramadharma� nimittajñānañcādhīyānā mantriṇastatra etatpañcaṃsٳyatairmantribhi� svaviṣaye'vasthapayet |mantripurohitasenāpatiyuvarāja� dauvārikāntarvaṃśikādiṣu sadvyapadeśaveṣaśilpabhāṣāvido janapadāpadeśena mantriṇa� sandhārayet | tathā kuvjavāmanakirātamūkajaḍavadhirāndhanaṭanarttakagāyanādaya� striyaścābhyantāracāriṇyo'ṭavyā� vanecarā� �, grāme grāmīṇakādaya� puruṣavyapārārthā� svavyāpāraparamparā� | parasparañcaite voddhavyāstādṛśaireva tādṛśāḥ | vāriṃsٳ gūḍhasaṃjñitā� | eva� 貹ñ� prakalpya parasyātmanaścātmīyādeva pañcavargān mantripurohitādīnāmanurāgāparāgau vidyāt, pravarteta | tathā Ჹṇḍpracāram, ko ṇḍ첹� sandhivigrahādau kasmin pracāre pravartata iti |
According to� k Kullūkabhaṇa the king should say to 貹پ첹 to report to him any evil of any person which he notices. According to ‘ѱپٳ�, the minister should say this to 貹پ첹. As king and minister are the authority of 貹پ첹, he would report to king and minister about any evil of any person which he would notice. Beside this—ܱū첹ṭṭ� and ‘ѱپٳ� had recommended on five fold group of spies.
But Manu did not discuss in detail. He had discussed only about five fold group of spies using the word ʲñ. Manu’s 貹ñ is kauṇilya’s ṃsٳ type of spy.
According to the importance, utility etc. ṭiⲹ described vividly about spy using the knowledge of ѲԳܲṃh and its commentary in his ٳśٰ.
In this way, appointing ʲñ, the king will come to know with the help of his own spy whether the priests and the ministers of his kingdom are pleased or not.
Manu also discussed that the king will know about Ჹṇḍ. He should know which of the kings are eager to make treaty and who are ready to fight. Ჹṇḍ is discussed in details in the part of the principle of war in the, ѲԳܲṃh. Great ṭiⲹ followed ܱū첹ṭṭ and ѱپٳ.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op. cit., p.696.
[3]:
Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op. cit., p. 697.
[4]:
Ashoka Bandyopadhaya: Op. cit., p. 250.