Akhyanakmanikosha

Author(s): Nemichandrasuri, Punyavijay, Dalsukh Malvania, Vasudev S Agarwal
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 81

Classes and professions in AMKV.
Many classes of people and professions are referred to. Only a few such names are collected below to indicate the wealth of information available about such castes or professions-ibbha (ibhya) seṭṭhi sresthi ), diya or dvija, bhada (bhata), wjjhaya (upādhyāya), purokiya (purohita), kaasaka, halio (farmer), halahara, koḍumbio (farmer, and in other contexts head of a family), nado (nata), naḍayavilli nado of Dumba caste (154.2), nada of Sabara caste (92.41), lamkhiya or lamkhaga (ropedancers, 92.63), māyanga (mälanga) Candela, dhivarapurisa (fisherman, also cf, macchiyanam pādao, 148.31), bhilla (Bhils), serahirakkhaga (140.3-4, keeper of buffaloes and cows), sāli-rakkhiya ( a lady who is employed to drive out animals etc destroying rice-crops in the field), arahaṭṭiya-nara (who drives the water-wheels), kumbhayāra or kulala (potter, kumbhayārassa sālā, 147.17, also, kulalagiha, 147.27), udda (earth digger, Guj. t), mālāgāra (mālākāra), rathika (chariotteer ), navia or churamathi (a barber), gandhiya (dealer in perfumes, 81.2), kammayara (servant); govala or gova (gopa), khattikkamayanga (butcher of matanga caste), malla (wrestler), suttahāra (sculptor and architect), maniyara-vaniya' (a merchant of maņikāra caste, workers on precious stones, savanṇakāra, kalaya (goldsmith), isuyara (one who makes arrows), mahiyari (283.16-17 wives of gopa people, who sell mahiyai, i. e. curds etc., cf. Guj.), Lambolio (tambulika, dealer in betel-leaves), pannavaniya (greengrocer), kullariya or kulluriya (318, 248, dealer in sweets, kändavika, (..), puiya (23.102, same as kulluriya) also called kanduia or kanduiya (23.114, kändavika, ), süvagara or suyakāra (p. 227 a cook), rasoyaniya ( 262.4, female cook), kallaliya (318.249, wine-dealer sea), kuṭṭini, pananganā, vāravilāsiņi, gania (prostitutes, also note vesavāḍa = veśapāṭaka, 212.606), nemittiya, joisiya (diviner, astrologer); mantavai (one practicing use of charms) vijjavāi (one practicing magical vidyas or charms), garuḍia (one who attracts and catches serpents, who removes poisons of serpents with charms), vijjā (medical-practitioners), Sabaravejja (a vaidya of Sabara caste) etc.
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The fair and unfair means of making money or earning one's livelihood are enumerated on pp. 222-223. Some numismatic evidence is also available: we find references to mudda or seal, diņāra (21.36; 116.73, golden coin so common in Kshatrapa and Gupta age, named after Denarius), suvanna or suvanna, and coins of smaller denomination like kagani (24.34, kākiņi-) and even varaḍaga (varātaka, which had coin value cf. varaḍagadasadugena egam gahaya varalaṭṭm, 40.79), damma (cf. Guj. , ; dramma, 149.48, common also in the age in which AMKV. was composed) suvanna-tanka (tankas of gold) and ruvaga ( 243.5) a silver coin.
Money was often carried in a purse known as nakulaka, naula, naulaya (cf. dināranaulayam, 204.369) or naula (225.2) naulaga (225.3). There was a superstitious belief that money stored in the hide of a nakulaka remains inexhaustible. With this belief may be compared some of the representations of Kubera, the lord of riches, carrying a nakula (ichenumon) in one of his hands, and in some cases, coins are shown as issuing from this nakula figure. In such cases, the nakula possibly represented the money-bag of the whole hide of nakula, rather than a live nakula himself. Later on any purse came to be called a nakula or nakulaga. The long purses carried by Jaina worshippers in some Jaina temple sculptures, (e. g. figures of wives of Vastupala in Lūņavasahi at Delväḍā, Mt. Abu) are known
1. The reference to Matargas, Sabaras, Dumbas etc. associated with dancing and Caccaris etc. in several akhyānakas in old Indian literature is noteworthy. The contribution of these people to Indian dancing and music should be an interesting problem for research.
2. Note the story of Nanda Maniyāra (264. 2). Also see, Shah, U. P. Geographical and Ethnic Data in the Kasyapa Samhita, Journal of the Oriental Institute, Vol. VII. Fp. 276-299, especially, the note on Manicaraḥ, pp. 292–293. Maniharas are numerons in U. P.
3. For Dramma, Tanka, Rüvaga, see Journ. of Numismatic Society of India, XVII, pp. 64-82, Vol. XX. 15 ff., 38 ff. 4. Cf. Shah, U. P., Numismatic Data from Jaina Literature,, Journal of the M. S. University of Baroda, Vol. III No. 1 (1954) pp. 51 ff. for references to diņāra, rūvaga,, kākiņi. naulao etc,