Ṣāḍguṇya

Ṣāḍguṇya names a sixfold approach to policy, presented as a means by which the wise pursue their aims. The passage makes the principle concrete through counsel to Ráma: in the crisis of losing his consort, he should seek an alliance with Sugríva, since without the chief’s aid his plans and hopes will fail. The six measures are not individually set out in the cited passage; its focus is the strategic necessity of friendship and support.

Definition and Aim

The counsel introduces six plans as a repertoire for reaching chosen ends. This gives policy a practical, situational purpose: political action is to respond to circumstances and serve an objective, rather than remain an abstract catalogue of rules. The passage identifies the number and aim of the measures but does not enumerate them, so it does not specify how each would operate or when each should be chosen.

Alliance as Policy

The immediate example is Ráma’s bereavement and distress after his consort has been taken away. The speaker counsels him to make Sugríva his friend, presenting the alliance not as an incidental kindness but as necessary assistance: without Sugríva’s support, Ráma’s hopes and plans will be in vain. The advice connects personal crisis to political action, making friendship a deliberate means of pursuing a larger aim.

Intelligence and Political Knowledge

Elsewhere, the narrative depicts rulers using secret spies to learn in time what people are doing and what they may do. This detail presents intelligence as a practical feature of political life alongside the passage’s emphasis on counsel and alliance. The text does not explicitly identify espionage as one of Ṣāḍguṇya’s six measures, but both passages portray effective action as dependent on understanding circumstances and choosing means suited to the goal.