Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 133

JUNI, 1931) DATE OF COMPILATION OF KAUTALYA'S ARTHA SASTRA (484-610 A.D.) 111
(svabhdmib), the existence of which a recent writer also oonfirms. He says that these lands were "owned by the state and cultivated under the direct superintendence of the state (sitadhyakaa)."
The officer in charge of the crown lands was required to punish those who neglected their fields and produoed less than the standard fixed by the government. According to Dr. Shama. sastry the passage tepdm karmaphala-vinipate tat-phalahdnam dandah8 means that "any loss due to the persons shall be punished with a fine equal to the loss. But it has not been pointed out how this loss was to be reckoned, unless there was some sort of measure of normal produce. It appears to me that a standard produce per bigha (paridesa) was fixed, varying with the agrioultural ciroumstances of important tracts and that this is what is referred to by Kautalya: podala dronam jangalánam varpa-pramánamadhyardhamandpånám dešavápánamardhatrayodas Almakandm trayoviméatir Avantinám amitam Aparántanám Haimanyanam ca kulyaupanam ca kilatah. 10 Dr. Shamasastry thinks that this passage means that “The quantity of rain that falls in the country of Jangala is 16 dronas ; half as much more in moist countries (andpanam); as to the countries which are fit for agriculture (deda vipandm) 131 dronas in the country of Asmakas; 23 dronas in Avant, and an immense quantity in western countries (a parántanám) the borders of the HimAlaya, and the countries where water channels are made use of in agriculture (kulyauddnám."11 This cannot be correct, as will be shown presently. The point escaped the attention of Ganapati Sastri; but Herr Meyer, while following their translations in the main, suggested a new point about anúpdndm delavd panám in a footnote. 1 The translations and the commentary in respect of the above passage are not acourato for the following reasons -
(i) Vana-pramdna may mean & rain gauge, but here it means the standard of produoe for the year. The dronas in the passage refer to the standard share of produce fixed for the crown lands situated in the different countries.
(ii) Haimanyánám does not mean the borders of the Himalaya. According to Apte, haimana signifies wintry or cold. Kulydvd pa denotes the crop irrigated by well, tank or water reservoir. Haimanyánam ca kulyává pánam ca kalatal may be translated as "the orop grown in winter and irrigated (by well, tank, lake or water reservoir) should be ascertain. ed acoording to the time."
(iii) Amitam A parántand has been translated as "immense quantity in western countries." The meaning appears rather to be "the quantity of produce of the Aparanta janapadas is not known (or not ascertained)." According to my interpretation the whole pas. sage means: "The annual measure (of produce to be taken as the king's due) is 16 dronas in the country of JAngala ; 24 dronas in moist (marshy or low) oountries fit for agriculture 13] droņas in the janapadas of Asmaka ; 23 droņas in Avanti; the quantity in Aparanta is not measured; the crop grown in winter and irrigated (by well, pond, tank, lake, etc.), should be ascertained according to the time." Whatever may be the correct interpretation of vana-pramdna, 80 much is indisputably clear that Kautalya's king possessed landed properties in the following countries
I. Aparanta, II. Asmaka. III. Avanti. IV. Jangala.
V. Anûpa dela. I. A paranta. Herr Meyer and Ganapati Sastri both agree that A paránta refers to the country of Konkaņa. Haran Chandra Chakladar in his book, Social Life in Ancient India : Studies in Vatsydyana's Kamasutra, writes "As regards the location of the province, the commentary says that Aparanta country was situated near the western sea. It is now generally considered to be “Northern Konkan with a capital at Sarparaka (now Sopara), 1 V. R. R. C. Dikshitar, Hindu Administrative Institutions, p. 166.
8 K. 8., p. 115. • E.T., p. 127, 10 K. S., pp. 116-16,
11 E.T., p. 197.
13 Meyer, P. 178 n.