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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
who eked out their living by working on a contract basis. Four classes of the bhayagas are mentioned in the NC.1-(i) divasabhayagas or labourers employed on daily basis, 2 (ii) jattābhayagas or those employed while undertaking a journey; they assisted their master and did all the work as required during a journey on getting a definite sum, (iii) kavvalabhayagas or labourers employed on a contract; they received their wages after finishing the work; the services of this class of labourers were usually requisitioned for doing hard manual work like digging the earth or clearing the grounds (uvda )* and (iv) uccattabhayagas or those employed for a definite period on a stipulated sum; they were to do all types of works as directed by their master during this period of contract. 5 Närada also mentions four categories of bhịtakas as distinct from the fifth category of slaves ( dasa )', and Bșhaspati also describes three classes of bhịtakas which include (i) those who served in army, (ii) those engaged in agriculture and (iii) those who carried loads from place to place.?
The kammakaras were the agricultural labourers who were employed for cultivating the soil and guarding the fields. 8 The gopas or govālas ( cowherds) are mentioned as servants
1. NC. 3, p. 272; Thānānga, 5. 382. 2. काले छिण्णो सव्वदिणं धणं पच्छिण्णं रूवगेहिं तुमे मम कम्मं कायन्वं। एवं दिणे दिणे
Tita -NC, 3, p. 273. 3. इमो जत्ताभयगो-इसजोयणागि मम सहारण एगागिणा वा गंतव्वं एत्तिएण धणेग, ततो
q à E71 | Trà Hi huifa- Född tiri a 1700-Ibid. 4. कव्वालो, खितिखाणतो, उड्डमादी, तस्स कम्ममप्पिणिज्जति, दो तिण्णि वा हत्था छिन्नं
अछिन्नं वा एत्तियं ते धणं दाहामि त्ति-Ibid. In Saurastra there is even today a caste known as Oda which is usually employed for digging the
carth --Malvania, D.D., Nišitha--Eka Adhyayuna, p. 82. 5. इमो उच्चत्तभयगो-तुमे मम एच्चिरं कालं कम्म कायव्वं जं जं अहं भणामि, एत्तियं
a que acTÀ -NC. 3, p. 273. This class of workers is called Ucaka
in Gujarat-Malvania, loc. cit. 6. Näradasmrti, V. 23. 7. Brhaspatidharmaśāstra, XV. 12-13 8. NO. 3, p. 519.
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