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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
The maid-servants and the female-slaves ( dasi, khariga, duakkhariya )? were also employed to do various jobs ( kamma ) at home. Female slaves ( dasi ) could be easily purchased ( mollakāta ) by paying the proper price. Even the women belonging to good families could be reduced to slavery (da sattu) for non-payment of debts. A monk's sister is mentioned to have worked as a slave girl to a grocer on being unable to repay the debt of the oil, as it grew manifold because of the heavy interest. The slaves, thus reduced to slavery, could be manumitted on the payment of the balance or through voluntary manumission by the master. The house-holders embracing the monk-hood normally used to set free all their slaves and servants.5 Mention of the word udagasambhara6 in this context perhaps points towards the ancient custom according to which the slaves were to be made free by their masters by washing their forehead,?
The general treatment meted out to the slaves seems to have been far from satisfactory. Slaves can be seen to run away from the family ( nattha )8 and the slave-girls are mentioned to have been captured by others, 9 Slave-girls formed concubines from the early period, and according to our author the slave-girls could be enjoyed by all. 11 The
1. NC 2, p. 430; NC. 3, p. 434; NC. 4, p. 19. See aiso-Bih. Vr. 2, pp. 470,
714 and NC. 4, p. 1231. 2. I le arat hasitai–NC. 3, p. 434. 3. स्तोकमपि ऋणं शेषं धारयन्ती क्वचिद्द शे काऽपि स्त्री तद् ऋगमददती कालक्रमेग
#nagi T B !h. VI. 6, p. 1663. 4. तं तेल्ल अदलंतीए अपरिमियवढीए वढंतं बहु जायं । असत्ता दाउं तत्थ घरे
THO qat-NC. 3, p 430. Cf. Pinda Niryukti, 319. Vide also LA1., p. 107. 5. Af Higafeuit—"qoqi" fə fanitar-NC. 3, p. 430. 6. Ibid. 7. Vya. Bhā. 6. 208; Näradasmrti, V. 42. 8. Jatetit ar ozo1-NC. 2, p. 265; Brh. V . 4, p. 1038. 9. garefiti art là 51NC. 2, p. 265. 10. Arthašāstra, III, 13. 11. after HoT FOETHUOJ ft-NC. 4, p. 19; Brh. V. 3, p. 714.
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