Chastisements of two
kinds, viz., open and secret, were indicated. The eight kinds of open
chastisement, as also the eight kinds of secret chastisement, were dealt
with in detail. Cars, elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers, O son of
Pandu, impressed labourers, crews, and paid attendants (of armies), and
guides taken from the country which is the seat of war, these are the
eight instruments, O Kauravya, of open chastisement or forces acting
openly. The use and administration of movable and immovable poison were
also mentioned in respect of the three kinds of things, viz., wearing
apparel, food, and incantations. Enemies, allies, and neutrals,--these
also were described. The diverse characteristics of roads (to be taken,
as dependent on stars and planets, etc.), the attributes of the soil (on
which to encamp), protection of self, superintendence of the construction
of cars and other utensils of war and use, the diverse means for
protecting and improving men, elephants, cars, and steeds, the diverse
kinds of battle array, strategies, and manoeuvres in war, planetary
conjunctions foreboding evil, calamitous visitations (such as
earthquakes), skilful methods of warfare and retreat, knowledge of
weapons and their proper keep, the disorders of troops and how to get rid
of them, the means of inspiring the army with joy and confidence,
diseases, times of distress and danger, knowledge of guiding
foot-soldiers in battle, the methods of sounding alarms and notifying
orders, inspiring the enemy with fear by display of standards, the
diverse methods of afflicting the enemy's kingdom by means of robbers and
fierce wild-tribes, and fire-raisers and poisoners and forgers by
producing disunion among the chief officers of hostile armies, by cutting
down crops and plants, by destroying the efficiency of the enemy's
elephants, by producing alarms, by honouring those among the enemy's
subjects that are well disposed towards the invader, and by inspiring the
enemy with confidence, the waste, growth, and harmony of the seven
essential requisites of sovereignty, capacity for (projected) works, the
means for accomplishing them, the methods of extending the kingdom, the
means of winning over persons residing in the enemy's territory, the
chastisement and destruction of those that are strong, the exact
administration of justice, the extermination of the wicked, wrestling,
shooting and throwing and hurling of weapons, the methods of making
presents and of storing requisite things, feeding the unfed and
supervision over those that have been fed, gifts of wealth in season,
freedom from the vices called Vyasanas, the attributes of kings, the
qualifications of military officers, the sources of the aggregate of
three and its merits and faults, the diverse kinds of evil intents, the
behaviour of dependents, suspicion against every one, the avoidance of
heedlessness, the acquisition of objects unattained, the improving of
objects already acquired, gifts to deserving persons of what has thus
been improved, expenditure of wealth for pious purposes, for acquiring
objects of desire, and for dispelling danger and distress, were all
treated in that work.
Pages:
1221
1222
1223
1224
1225
1226
1227
1228
1229
1230
1231
1232
1233
1234
1235
1236
1237
1238
1239
1240
1241
1242
1243
1244
1245