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that when we lead an uncontrolled life, we are criminals because we inflict unnecessary punishments to the organisms around us.
The Āvaśyaka-sūtra (sūtra 80) provides all the details of anartha-danda, which is significient because we have already observed the close connection between the Āvaśyaka and its literature with Arthaśāstra. [8] Vrşala-Vrsalī
Now, we will consider the most debated words ‘vrşala' and ‘vrsali' in the light of (i) Arthaśāstra (ii) the drama Mudrārākṣasa and (iii) its Prakrit equivalents.
In the 12th adhyāya of Arthaśāstra, Kautilya deals with the wandering spies. While describing female-espionage, he says -
ufafsohl: --- MICH SEV: --- HEIHEI 37fMESTE I He adds - gael yusi qart 1CIN: 1
In this passage, it is clear that the brahmin female ascetics are called ufafscht:'. Furtheron, Kautilya expects the same duties from the tonsured vrşalīs. Many of the Kautilyan scholars translate the word as 'female ascetics of lower-caste (PGT)'.
All the translators and scholars of the drama Mudrārāksasa think that Cāņakya addresses Candragupta as ‘vrsala' due to his birth in the lower-caste. This hypothesis is not true when we examine the reference of Arthaśāstra. In the same chapter on espionage, the word ‘śramaņa' occurs which includes all the non-vedic cults. In the 77th adhyāya, we get the reference as - शाक्य-आजीवकादीन् वृषलप्रव्रजितान् देवपितृकार्येषु भोजयतरश्शत्यो दण्डः ।
Here, the word vrsala is used for the monks who are initiated in the Buddhist, Āvīvaka and other (Jaina) samghas. This is certainly a list of non-vedic (śramaņa) monks. It is possible that some of them might have arrived from lower-caste but there is no proof that
