Dvādaśarāja-maṇḍala (The twelve kings)

The twelve kings are:

1. ari (enemy),
2. mitra (friend),
3. arimitra (fiend of the enemy),
4. mitramitra (friend of the friend),
5. arimitramitra (friend of the friend of enemy).

These are the five sovereigns whose domains lie consecutively in front of the dominions of the vijigīṣu. The king just in the rear of the vijigīṣu is designated pārṣṇigrāha. The attitude of this monarch has not been defined, which may be both hostile and friendly; but more often it is hostile. After this comes the ākranda, the king whose kingdom lies in the rear, next but one, to that of the Vijigīṣu. Ākranda has been defined to be a king who prevents an ally from aiding another. If the pārṣṇigrāha be inimical to the vijigīṣu. ākranda prevents the ally of the pārṣṇigrāha to join him and this he can do easily as his kingdom lies intervenining those of the pārṣṇigrāha and his ally. Ākranda is therefore naturally friendly to Vijigīṣu. Then come the āsāra of these two. Two āsārs are the two monarches who respectively support the pārṣṇigrāha sāra and the ākranda. They are respectively called pārṣṇigrāha and ākrandasāra.

Their attitude may be easily divined. This is the maṇḍala of ten kings including the vijigīṣu.

The sovereign, whose domain lies intervening the dominionis (dominion status) of the ari and the vijigīṣu is denominated the madhyama. His attitude becomes friendly when the ari and the vijigīṣu are united together, and it is hostile to them both when they are disunited from each other. Beyond the maṇḍala composed of those sovereigns, lies the domain of the udāsīna, who is by far the most powerful of them all. He is capable of showing grace to them all when they are united and of crushing them when they are separated. Thus we see that there are twelve kings including madhyama and udāsīna. (Arthaśāstra, 6.2.18, 21.22)

Twelve king are described in the Manusaṃhitā following way-in verse one hundred and fifty six (156):

“Manu classifies four principal types of kings madhyama, vijigīṣu, udāsīna and śatru which a kullūka points out are four mūlaprakṛtis. Manu also mentions eight other types of kings whom kullūka describes as śākhāprkṛti. In this verse Manu defines ari, mitra and udāsīna. But it is surprising that he omits madhyama. It may be that the very name may help us in identifying madhyama as the king whose territory lies in between those of vijigīṣu and ari. It is worthy of notice also that Manu does not explain in śākhāprkṛti. It is for the commentators to explain in detail both the Mūlaprakṛtis and śākhāprkṛti.”^[1]

This saptaprakṛti and dvādaśarājamaṇḍala are the basic of the six fold policy.

According to the opinion of Kauṭilys teacher six qualities are:

1. sandhi,
2. vigraha, 
3. yāna,
4. āsana,
5. saṃśraya and
6. dvaidhībhāva.

But view of Bātavyādhi one of the teacher of Kauṭilya is: 1. sandhi and 2. vigraha are two qualities or guṇas. ṣāḍguṇya is accomplished with these two guṇas or qualities. According to him āsana, yāna, saṃśraya and dvaidhībhāba, these four guṇas or qualities are included within sandhi and vigraha. He says āsana and saṃśraya are included in sandhi. Yāna is included in vigraha and dvaidhībhāba is included with in sandhi and vigraha.

“The idea is that peace and war are the basic policies, the others being only variations of these. There is some truth in this point of view.”^[2]

According to Kauṭily’s own view guṇas are six types in different circumstances of śandhi and vigraha |

Accepting Kauṭilys’s opinion kāmandaka said Vigraha is the only original guṇa or quality.

According to different situation sandhi’ etc. guṇas are arrising from that vigraha. Yet it is better to accept all the six guṇas.

According to him—

“vigraha ekaeva sandhyādayo'nye tu guṇāstadutthāḥ |
avasthayā bhedamupagataṃ sandbha ṣāḍaguṇyamityeva gurormataṃ naḥ |” (11.42)^[3]

According to Kauṭilya the definition of six qualities or six foreign policys are:

Sandhi:

“tatra paṇavandhaḥ sandhiḥ | (7.1.6)^[4]

“Among them, entering into a treaty is peace”.^[5]

Here tatra means—among the six qualities, sandhi is equals to establishing peace or friend ship between king of desire of suceess and enemy. Conditional prisoner means Sandhi |—“entering into a formal treaty with specific clauses”.^[6]

Vigraha

‘apakāro vigraha’: | (7.1.7)^[7]

“Doing injury is war”.^[8]

Harm, that is enimty rebellion means battle or war.

Āsana

‘upekṣaṇamāsanam’ | (7.18)^[9]

‘Remaining indifferent is staying quiet.^[10]

Or observance of neutrality, staying quiet. Remain silent to aloofness.’

Yāna

‘abhyuccayo yānam’ | (7.1.9)^[11]

“Augmentation of (powers) is marching.^[12]

Vijigiṣu king’s marching towards his enemy. Yāna means excessive adition or growth.”

Saṃśraya

‘parārpaṇaṃ saṃśraya:’ | (7.1.10)^[13]

‘Submitting to another is seeking shelter’.^[14]

Alliance or saṃśraya means, offering one self towards a stronger king, offering oneself own’s son or own’s commodity.

T. Ganapati Śāstrī gave explanation about saṃśraya in his śrīmūlā:

‘valavate'nyasmai rājñe svātmasvaputrasvadravyāṇāmarpaṇaṃ saṃśrayapadārthaḥ |’^[15]

Dvaidhībhāva

‘sandhivigrahopādānaṃ dvaidhībhāvaḥ |’(7.1.11)^[16]

‘Resorting to peace (with one) and war (with another) is dual policy.’^[17]

In dual policy making peace with one and waging war with another. Allience that is maintainance peace with one king and battle with another king is dvaidhībhāba.

In the respect of this subject kāmandaka describes in his book Nītisāra

“valinordviṣato madhye vācātmānaṃ saṃmarpayan |
dvaidhībhāvena varteta kākākṣivadalakṣitaḥ ||” 16.23 || 107

Again there is another type of dvaidhībhāva. Establishing alliance openly with enemy king, the king with desire of victory doing confidential offence against enemy king and prepaired for the battle. Thus at the same time mentioning alliance and preparing for battle is called dvaidhībhāva.

“parasmāthīyamānaḥ saṃdadhīta | abhyuccīyamāno vigṛhnīyāt | na māṃ paro nāhaṃ paramupahantaṃ śakkaityasīta | guṇātiśayayuktoyāyāt | śaktihīnaḥ saṃśrayeta | sahāyasādhye kārye dbaidhībhāvaṃ gacchet |” (7.1.13-18)^[18]

When in decline as compared to the enemy, he should make peace. When prospering, he should make war (When he thinks) ‘the enemy is not able to do harm to me, nor I to him’, he should stay quiet. When possessed of a preponderance of excellent qualities, he should march. Depleted in power; he should seek shelter. In a work that can be achieved with the help of an associate, he should resort to a dual policy”.^[19]

Accepting Kauṭily’ s opinion kāmandaka said—only vigraha is the original guṇa or quality. According to different situation Sandhi etc. guṇas are arrising or sporuting from that guṇa. Hence / consiquently accepting of all six guṇas are better. According to kāmandaka.

bigraha ekaeva sandhyādayo'nye tu guṇāstadutthāḥ | avasthayā bhedamupagataṃ san ṣāḍ guṇyamityeva gurormataṃ naḥ | (nītisāra–11.42)^[20]

It is commented in the Manusaṃhitā about ṣāḍguṇy—

“sandhiñca vigrahañcaiva yānamāsanameva ca |
dvaidhībhāvaṃ saṃśrayañca ṣaḍguṇāṃścintayetsadā ||” 7.160 ||^[21]

“Let him, constantly think of the six measures of royal policy viz., alliance, war, marching, halting, dividing the army and seeking protection.”^[22]

So, it is the duty of vijigīṣu king to think about ṣāḍguṇya.

It is mentioned in a comment of śiśupālavadha Mallinātha says—

“sandhivigrahayānāsanadvaidhībhāvasaṃśrayā iti vijigīṣoḥ rājñaḥ ṣaṭsaṃkhyakāḥ guṇā upāyā vā rājanītiśāstre ṣāḍguṇyamiti kathitam |”

Mallinātha has explained about ṣāḍguṇya in the comment of twenty sixth verse of second canto:

“guṇāḥ sandhivigraha yānāsana dvaidhībhāvāśrayākhyāḥ ṣaṭ |”

... arivijigīṣorcyavasthakaraṇam aikyaṃ sandhiḥ | virodho vigrahaḥ | “vijigīṣorariṃ prati yātrā yānam | tayormithaḥ prativaddhaśaktyoḥ kālapratīkṣayā tūṣṇīmbhavasthanamāsanam duvalapravalayorvācika—mātmasamarpaṇaṃ dvaidhībhāvaḥ | ariṇā pīḍyamānasya valavadāśrayaṇaṃ saṃśrayaḥ |”

The teachers before Kauṭilya say that the king should follow that policy which helps to achieve the success of vijigīṣu king.

According to Kauṭilya—

“teṣāṃ yasmin vā guṇe sthitaḥ paśyet‘ihasthaḥ śakṣyāmi durgasetukarma—vaṇikpathaśūnyaniveśakhanidravyahastivanakarmāṇyātmanaḥ pravartayituṃ parasya caitāni karmāṇyupahantum’ iti tamātiṣṭhet sā vṛddhiḥ ||” (7.1.20-21)^[23]

Means,

“Of them, he should follow that policy by resorting to which he may be able to see. ‘By resorting to this, I shall be able to promote my own undertakings concerning forts, water-works, trade-routes, settling on waste land, mines, material forests and elephant forests, and to injure these undertakings of the enemy. That is advancement.”^[24]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ibid., pp. 165-166.

[2]:

R. P. Kangle: Op. cit., Part II. P. 321 (foot note).

[3]:

Rajendra Lala Mitra: Op.cit., p. 235.

[4]:

R. P. Kangle: Op. cit., Part I. p. 168.

[5]:

ibid., Part-II, p. 321.

[6]:

loc.cit. (foot note).

[7]:

ibid., part-I, p. 168.

[8]:

ibid., part-II, p. 321.

[9]:

ibid., part-I, p. 168.

[10]:

ibid., part-II, p. 321.

[11]:

ibid., part-I, p. 168.

[12]:

ibid., part-II, p. 321.

[13]:

ibid., part-I, p. 168.

[14]:

ibid., part-II, p. 321.

[15]:

T.G. Sastri, Op.cit., part-II, p. 682.

[16]:

R.P. Kangle: Op. cit., Part-I, p. 168.

[17]:

ibid., part-II, p. 321.

[18]:

R.P. Kangle: Op. cit., part-I, p. 168.

[19]:

ibid., part-II, pp. 321-322.

[20]:

Rajendra Lala Mitra: Op.cit.,p.235.

[21]:

Manabendu Bandyopadhaya: Op.cit., p.703.

[22]:

Ashokanath Shastri: Op.cit., p.166.

[23]:

R.P. Kangle: Op. cit., part-I, p.168.

[24]:

ibid., part-II, p. 322.