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II, 50. THE FOUR CASTES; LAWFUL OCCUPATIONS. 15
45. (The case of) flavouring substances has been explained by (the rule regarding) grain,
46. As well-as (the case of) flowers, roots, and fruit.
47. (They may lend) what is sold by weight, (taking) eight times (the original value on repayment).
48. Now they quote also (the following verses) : Two in the hundred, three and four and five, as has been declared in the Smriti, he may take as interest by the month according to the order of the castes.'
49. But the king's death shall stop the interest on money (lent);
50. 'And after the coronation of (a new) king the capital grows again.'
and a Kshatriya. The rule, of course, refers to other castes also, and to those cases where no periodical interest is taken, but the loan relurned in kind.
47. The Ratnâkara quoted by Colebrooke loc. cit. takes 'what is sold by weight' to be camphor and the like.' Krishnapandita thinks that clarified butter, honey, spirituous liquor, oil, molasses, and salt' are meant. But most of these substances fall under the term rasâh, 'flavouring substances. The proper explanation of the words seems to be, any other substance not included among those mentioned previously, which is sold by weight.'
48. Vishnu VI, 2, and especially Manu VIII, 142. The lowest rate of interest is to be taken from the highest caste, and it becomes greater with decreasing respectability. According to Krishnapandita and the commentators on the parallel passage of Vishnu, Manu, and other Smritis, this rule applies only to loans for which no security is given-a statement which is doubtlessly correct.
49-50. Both the reading and the sense of this verse, which in some MSS. is wanting, are somewhat doubtful. I read with my best MSS.,
râgâ tu mritabhâvena dravyavriddhim vinâsayet
punâ râgâbhishekena dravyamůlam ka vardhate il and consider that it gives a rule, ordering all money transactions to be stopped during the period which intervenes between the death of a king and the coronation of his successor, I am, however, unable to point out any parallel passages confirming this
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| SR No. | 007674 |
| Book Title | Dhammapada |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Max Muller |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1881 |
| Total Pages | 2540 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 45 MB |