Cultural Study of Nisitha Curni

SR No.: 001743
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Madhu Sen
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar
Publication Year: 1975
Total Pages: 432
Language: English, Prakrit
Classification: Book_English, Agam, Canon, & Literature
File Size: 23 MB

Page 237

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
centuries was particularly famous for its sea- ́aring activities.1 Large ships sailed in the sea, while boats of different sizes were used for river-trade. Four varieties of boats have been mentioned in the NC. Of these one type wasse a-faring (samudda )2, while the other three were used in rivers (samuddatirittajala ). The first kind of boats, which must have been large boats or ships, regularly sailed from Teyālagapattana (Veravala ) to Bāravai ( Dvārikā ).*
The great navigable rivers (mahanadi) provided an important means of water-ways. These were five in numberGanges, Yamuna, Sarayu, Eravati and Mahi.5 Besides, the rivers like Sindhu and Venna or Kanhaveņņa (in Abhīra Viṣaya) have also been mentioned. The rivers of Komkaṇa were usually full of stones which caused great difficulty to the
1. Describing the maritime activities of Gujarat Yuan Chwang remarks: As the Saurastra country 'is on the western sea-route, the men all derive their livelihood from the sea and engage in commerce and exchange of the commodities' ( Beal, op. cit., IV, pp. 459 ). According to Mañju-Sri-Mülakalpa (ed. by Jayaswal, p. 25), a contemporary Buddhist work, people of Valabhi reached Sura by crossing the sea. Describing the economic importance of Valabhi Danḍin says that ships were owned there even by private individuals ( Dasakumaracarita, Bombay, 1925, p. 225 ).
2. तारिणी णावातारिमे उदगे चउरो णावाप्पगारा भवंति । तत्थ एगा समुद्दे भवति, जहा तेयालग पट्टणाओ बारवइ गम्मइ | NC. 1, p.69.
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3. The other three types of boats mentioned in the text are: (i) those sailing according to the current of the water (anusrotagāminī), (ii) those sailing against the current (pratilomagāmini) and (iii) those used for crossing the rivers (tiracch-samtarini )-NC. 1, p. 69. These three appear to be three distinct positions assumed by a boat during the course of its journey. and may not be regarded as three different varieties of boats, yet this four-fold classification of the boats indeed reveals that there existed a difference between the ships sailing in the sea and the boats sailing in rivers, although both have been called by a common term, viz. nava.
4. NC. 1, p. 69.
5. NC. 3, p. 364; Brh. Vr. 5, p. 1487.
6. NC. 4, p. 38.
7. NC. 3, p. 425.