Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons

Author(s): Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company

Page 67

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
65
We are told of a simple villager, who was going to trade with his bullockcart loaded with corn and a partridge-cage tied to it. On his way he met some perfumers who cnquired whether he wanted to sell his 'partridge-cage tied to the cart' (sagada-tiltıri) which could also mean
the cart as well as the partridge. The simpleton replied in the affirmative The perfumers paid him a kāhāvana and taking his bullockcart as well as the partridge made off The poor villager went to the court, but lost his case. After sometime the villager visited the perfumers with his bullocks in exchange of two pālis of satlu provided their mother came to him nicely dressed and decked with ornaments with the offer The perfumers agreed to the proposals and their mother approached the villager as desired by him The villager succeeded in his strategcm anl holding the woman by hand departed In the mcantımc the pcoplc gathered thcrc, and they heard the whole story. The villager got his bullock-cart back and allowed the woman to go."
Then we hcar of a murder case Kappaka, who was a Brāhmaņa by caste, once murdered a washerman and in wrath dyed his clothes with the latter's blood. The guild of the washerman (senz) went to the court (1ājakula), but sccing Kappaka thcrc conversing with the king, came home 8
Sometimes cvcn for ordinary offences complaints were lodged with the king. We arc told about a man of Lāta, who took away the umbrclla of a Mahārāstrian. The latter sued the former in the court, but he lost the case. Then we hear of a quarrel between Karakandu and a Brahmana over a staff (danda). Karakandu pleaded before the judges (kāranthas) that since that bamboo staff had grown in his cemetry, it belonged to him, the judges pronounced their judgments in favour of Karanqlu 10
Sometimes cvcn thc Jain monks had to appcar in the Law-Court We arc told that when Vana was six months old he was taken by the Jain monks for ordination In course of tinic, the mother of the child filed a suit in the court against the monks The king sat to the cast, the Jain Sangha to the south and thc i elatives and sends of Vaira on the left of the king The whole town was on the side of the plaintiff The mother tempted the child by showing various toys but the child would not comc to her. The father of Vaira, who had taken to ascetic life, and who belonged to the opposite party, callcd out his child and asked him to tako up the rajoharana and the child ohcyed The mother lost the case and the child was given to the monks 11 At tinics the Jain monks visited the king and complained against the prostitutcs, who tresspassed on their residence with the intention of distracting and scducing them 12
? Das cũ, p 58 , Pasu, p 57 , also cf Ira cī, p 119 8 Ava cu , II, p 181 f 9 Vya Bhá 3 345 f, p 69. 10 Uttarā T1,9, p 134, 11 Ava.cú ,p 391 f. 11 Brh Bha, 4. 4923-25, also sce Uttarā., 3, p. 72 a.