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MEDIEVAL JAINISM : CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
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3. Shreshthi (Seth). Vaniks were the local traders.
Sarthvaha used to lead the group of traders going for interstate trade.
Among the traders sheresthis were the most rich and prosperous community. In addition to the buying and selling of valuables they also used to deal with money lending.
In addition to local and interstate trade, Jain literature also mentions about foreign trade.
Prohibited Trades
The Jains did not like to trade in a number of articles. These are mentioned in the commentary on the Dharamabindu as well as in some other Jaina literature.
We learn from Upmittibhavprapancakatha that how merchants earned profit by storing cereals, cotton and wool, buying lac, trading in Jaggery, pressing oil manufacturing charcoal, cutting down forest, telling lies and cheating their customers by using false weights and measures. Some of them dealt in ivory, alchemic preparations and other articles prohibited by Jain canon.
A list of such prohibited trades adopted from Dashrath Sharma is as follows'.
1. Angarakanna 2. Vanakarma 3. Shakaikarma 4. Bhatikarma
- Preparing charcoal - buying forests to sell their wood. -- Plying carts on hire. - Plying other vehicles and
conveyances on hire. - Digging and hoeing for cultivation - advancing money to Pulindas on
the condition that they would bring ivory to the lender.
5. Spotikara 6. Dantavanijya
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