Arthashastra
यदि वा पश्येत् "अमित्रो मे शक्ति युक्तो वाग् दण्ड पारुष्य अर्थ दूषणैः प्रकृतीर् उपहनिष्यति, सिद्धि युक्तो वा मृगया द्यूत मद्य स्त्रीभिः प्रमादं गमिष्यति, स विरक्त प्रकृतिर् उपक्षीणः प्रमत्तो वा साध्यो मे भविष्यति, विग्रह अभियुक्तो वा सर्व संदोहेन एकस्थो अदुर्गस्थो वा स्थास्यति, स संहत सैन्यो मित्र दुर्ग वियुक्तः साध्यो मे भविष्यति, "बलवान् वा राजा परतः शत्रुम् उच्छेत्तु कामः तम् उच्छिद्य माम् उच्छिन्द्याद्" इति बलवता प्रार्थितस्य मे विपन्न कर्म आरम्भस्य वा साहाय्यं दास्यति", मध्यम लिप्सायां च, इत्य् एवं आदिषु कारणेष्व् अमित्रस्य अपि शक्तिं सिद्धिं च इच्छेत् ॥
"That my enemy, possessed as he is of immense power, will yet in the near future, hurt the elements of his own sovereignty, by using contumelious language, by inflicting severe punishments, and by squandering his wealth; that though attaining success for a time yet he will blindly take himself to hunting, gambling, drinking and women; that as his subjects are disaffected, himself powerless and haughty, I can overthrow him; that when attacked, he will take shelter with all his paraphernalia into a fort or elsewhere; that possessed as he is of a strong army, he will yet fall into my hands, as he has neither a friend nor a fort to help him; that a distant king is desirous to put down his own enemy, and also inclined to help me to put down my own assailable enemy when my resources are poor; or that I may be invited as a Madhyama king,"--for these reasons the conqueror may allow his enemy to grow in strength and to attain success for the time being.
english translation
yadi vA pazyet "amitro me zakti yukto vAg daNDa pAruSya artha dUSaNaiH prakRtIr upahaniSyati, siddhi yukto vA mRgayA dyUta madya strIbhiH pramAdaM gamiSyati, sa virakta prakRtir upakSINaH pramatto vA sAdhyo me bhaviSyati, vigraha abhiyukto vA sarva saMdohena ekastho adurgastho vA sthAsyati, sa saMhata sainyo mitra durga viyuktaH sAdhyo me bhaviSyati, "balavAn vA rAjA parataH zatrum ucchettu kAmaH tam ucchidya mAm ucchindyAd" iti balavatA prArthitasya me vipanna karma Arambhasya vA sAhAyyaM dAsyati", madhyama lipsAyAM ca, ity evaM AdiSu kAraNeSv amitrasya api zaktiM siddhiM ca icchet ॥
hk transliteration by Sanscriptयदि वा पश्येत् "अमित्रो मे शक्ति युक्तो वाग् दण्ड पारुष्य अर्थ दूषणैः प्रकृतीर् उपहनिष्यति, सिद्धि युक्तो वा मृगया द्यूत मद्य स्त्रीभिः प्रमादं गमिष्यति, स विरक्त प्रकृतिर् उपक्षीणः प्रमत्तो वा साध्यो मे भविष्यति, विग्रह अभियुक्तो वा सर्व संदोहेन एकस्थो अदुर्गस्थो वा स्थास्यति, स संहत सैन्यो मित्र दुर्ग वियुक्तः साध्यो मे भविष्यति, "बलवान् वा राजा परतः शत्रुम् उच्छेत्तु कामः तम् उच्छिद्य माम् उच्छिन्द्याद्" इति बलवता प्रार्थितस्य मे विपन्न कर्म आरम्भस्य वा साहाय्यं दास्यति", मध्यम लिप्सायां च, इत्य् एवं आदिषु कारणेष्व् अमित्रस्य अपि शक्तिं सिद्धिं च इच्छेत् ॥
"That my enemy, possessed as he is of immense power, will yet in the near future, hurt the elements of his own sovereignty, by using contumelious language, by inflicting severe punishments, and by squandering his wealth; that though attaining success for a time yet he will blindly take himself to hunting, gambling, drinking and women; that as his subjects are disaffected, himself powerless and haughty, I can overthrow him; that when attacked, he will take shelter with all his paraphernalia into a fort or elsewhere; that possessed as he is of a strong army, he will yet fall into my hands, as he has neither a friend nor a fort to help him; that a distant king is desirous to put down his own enemy, and also inclined to help me to put down my own assailable enemy when my resources are poor; or that I may be invited as a Madhyama king,"--for these reasons the conqueror may allow his enemy to grow in strength and to attain success for the time being.
english translation
yadi vA pazyet "amitro me zakti yukto vAg daNDa pAruSya artha dUSaNaiH prakRtIr upahaniSyati, siddhi yukto vA mRgayA dyUta madya strIbhiH pramAdaM gamiSyati, sa virakta prakRtir upakSINaH pramatto vA sAdhyo me bhaviSyati, vigraha abhiyukto vA sarva saMdohena ekastho adurgastho vA sthAsyati, sa saMhata sainyo mitra durga viyuktaH sAdhyo me bhaviSyati, "balavAn vA rAjA parataH zatrum ucchettu kAmaH tam ucchidya mAm ucchindyAd" iti balavatA prArthitasya me vipanna karma Arambhasya vA sAhAyyaM dAsyati", madhyama lipsAyAM ca, ity evaM AdiSu kAraNeSv amitrasya api zaktiM siddhiM ca icchet ॥
hk transliteration by Sanscript