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57
POLITY AND ADMINISTRATION
(pratibhn) · and the written documents (leha) were considered as prime evidences. In spite of these elaborate rules, it cannot be definitely stated as to how far these rules were put into practice by the State-officers. Very often we find the Statecffiicers being bribed (ukkoda) by the wealthy citizens. The friends and relatives of the king usually took undue advantage of their higher social status.* The false-witnesses ( kūda-sakkhi, alika-sakkhi )4 and the fabrication of forged documents ( kūļaleha ). were common. There were people who readily agreed to give false witnesses in court in order to earn money.
Filing a case in the court was indeed a costly affair. The poor people having no money were unable to lodge a complaint in the court and were “even turned out of the court by the dutagas or the servants or guards of the court”.? A similar statement is found in a contemporary work, the Mattavilasaprahasana, in the remarks of Devasomā when she says: “Why this man has heaps of riches drawn from the revenues of many monasteries and with it he can stuff the mouth of the courtofficials at pleasure. I am the maid of a poor Kápalika whose only wealth is snake's skin and sacred ash, and what riches have I that I should go to the court ?»8. The legal proceedings in the court being a costly affair, people must have tried to settle the disputes with the arbitration of the village-elders or the
Panini, sāksi was the one who was an eye-witness (V. 2.91) and surety was called pratibhu in relation to the loan for which he was bound as surety (II. 3.30)--Vide Agrawala, V. S., India as known to Pāṇini,
p. 417. 1. See above note. 2. NC. 3, p. 274; also 37TT 91364TSIOIT TUOTT Erald-NC. 3, p. 53. 3. Ibid. 4. NO. 1, pp. 101-2. 5. NO. 3, p. 361. 6. Falta ja miter f Pati HasHi aafa-NC. 1, p. 101; # Staf ICT
Coupe FTOT seaftati fit-NC. 1, p. 102. 7. अध सो दरिदो रायकुलं गच्छति, दूतगेण कड्ढति, तत्थ घणक्खतो भवति, द्रव्याभावात्तं
op hela peut aftet, Tea Cucafa_NC. 3, p. 274. 8. Mattavilāsa-prahasana, p. 31.
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