Indian Antiquary Vol 52

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 163

Jun, 1928)
EARLY HISTORY OF INDIAN FAMINES
147
Chanakya in his Arthasastra mentions other remedial and relief measures : (a) remission of taxes, (6) construction of relief works to keep the people remuneratively employed, and. (c) Famine Relief funds to which the wealthy were to be persuaded to handsomely sub. soribs by promises of titleg and honours. Kautilya, however, relies mainly on two relief measures to mitigate the horrors of famine, viz., the strict regulation of prices and the state distribution of corn among the famished people. The system of standardisation of prices is instructive :-" The Superintendent of commerce shall fix a profit of 5 per cent. over and above the fixed price of local commodities and ten per cent. on foreign produce. Merchants who enhance the price or realigo profit even to the extent of half a pana (a small denomination) more than the above in the sale or purchase of commodities, shall be punished with a fine of, from 5 panas in case of realising 100 panas up to 200 panas.
"Fines for greater enhancement shall be proportionately increased.
"Merchants who conspire eithor to prevent the sale of merchandise or to sell or purchase commodities at higher prices shall be fined 1,000 panas."
And as the ancient kings of India were themselves the greatest traders in the land and in very close touch with the movements of the market, they were able strictly but justly to regulate prices.
Secondly, the distribution of foodstuffs was easy in those days when people paid most of the taxes in kind and the king had a network of treasuries all over the land stored with foodstuffs. The granaries were stored with the finest grains : "grains pure and fresh," enjoins Kautilya, "shall be received in full measures; otherwise a fine twice the value of the grains shall be imposed."
Other interesting details are given in the Arthasastra which should be briefly indicated. Says Kautilya (p. 261): "There are eight kinds of providential visitations : they are fire, floods, pestilential diseases, famine, rats, tigers (vyalah), serpents and demons. From theso shall the king protect his kingdom ; " and he adds, like a true Brahman :"success in averting these is to be sought by worshipping Gods and Brahmanas." During drought Indra (Sachinatha), the Ganges, mountains and Mahakachchha were to be worshipped. On p. 54, kings are advised not to take possession of any country which is harassed by frequent visitation of famines. Elsewhere he naively observes, "the destruction of crops is worse than the destruction of handfuls (of grains), since it is the labour that is destroyed thereby; absence of rain is worse than too much rain” (p. 396). In chapter IV, Bk. VIII (p. 401), there is an interesting discussion between Kautilya and his master; "Providential calamities are fire, floods, pestilence, famine,
and the epidemic disease called maraka)." "My teacher says that, of pestilonce and famine, postilenco brings all kinds of business to a stop by causing obstruction to work on account of disease and death among men and owing to the flight of servants, whereas famine stops no work, but is productive of gold, cattle and taxes."
"No," says Kautilya, "pestilence devastates only a portion of the country and can be remedied; whereas famine causes trouble to the whole of the country, and occasions dearth of sustenance to all living creatures." Kautilya (Ch. 14, Bk. 7, p. 374) recognises the import. ance of irrigation works : irrigational works (setubhanda) are the source of crops; the results of a good shower of rain are ever attained in the case of crops below irrigational works" ; and says, "a King (Ch. I, Bk. 2, p. 53) shall also, in addition to his helping the ryots with grain, cattle, money, construct resorvoirs filled with water, either permanent or from some other source ; or he may provide with sites, roads, timber and other necessary things those who construct reservoirs of their own accord; and kings are warned not to be niggardly in