The anatomy of corruption

मत्स्या यथान्तः सलिले चरन्तो

ज्ञातुं न शक्याः सलिलं पिबन्तः।

युक्तास्तथा कार्यविधौ नियुक्ताः

ज्ञातुं न शक्याः धनमाददानाः॥

चाणक्यकृते अर्थशास्त्रे २-१०-३७

matsyā yathāntaḥ salile caranto

jñātuṁ na śakyāḥ salilaṁ pibantaḥ|

yuktāstathā kāryavidhau niyuktāḥ

jñātuṁ na śakyāḥ dhanamādadānāḥ||

cāṇakyakṛte arthaśāstre 2-10-37

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The anatomy of corruption presented in the simplest manner by the greatest Indian Economist ever born..Chanakya.. in his magnum opus.. Arthashastra

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meaning

Just as it is impossible to know whether the fish remaining in water and is swmming around for ever is drinking some water,

it is impossible to really know or pinpoint that the employees appointed to run the affairs of the state are just taking off or pilfering the funds of the government for personal purposes..

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Some very important conclusions emerge from this statement..

The ruler or controller of the state should be ever alert.. Employees who are in control of funds, can be tempted to misappropriate.. and when the dividing line between personal and public funds are very thin, it takes a lot of diligence to discern and prevent such pilferage

And the implied call of the master statesman is that the administration should be very alert and should rather forsee the human propensities..

Fish remain in water for too long.. Just like that a government official remains in his post for too long.. Such long tenures too call for frequent review/

It is amazing to feel that Chanakya has just compressed all the theories of administration and administrative law in terse stanzas and presented them in such a crisp style.. and one can feel that a simple reading of that great master would be almost equal to undergoing rigorous training in modern law, administration and management studies..

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analysis

सलिलं अन्तः चरन्तः मत्स्याः fish moving inside water

यथा सलिलं पिबन्तः whether drink water

ज्ञातुं न शक्याः not able to know

भवन्ति are

तथा कार्यविधौ युक्ताः नियुक्ताः in the same way those who employed in handling the functions of the state

धनमाददानाः ज्ञातुं न शक्याः are not eaily located when they appropriate the money of wealth (of the state for themselves)

regards

k v ananthanarayanan