Nahta Bandhu Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Dashrath Sharma
Publisher: Agarchand Nahta Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 601

While going to a foreign country, merchants worshipped the sea-god (Poiana samudda devam 105.32) and remembered other favourable deities (Sumarijjanti itha devae, 67.2). Sagaradatta had worshipped Indra, Dharnendra, Dhanak and Dhanpal for earning money by means of mining.1
7. Sea Voyage (Sayar-Taranam)
In ancient India there were two chief trades-local trade and foreign trade. For foreign trade one had to go beyond the seas. So sea-faring was considered essential for earning money. Sea voyage was particularly profitable because goods of one's own country could be sold in other countries at high rates and gold could be brought from beyond the seas into one's country, a In Kuvalayamālā. kaha there are many references to sea-voyage (67.30, 89.8, 105.31 etc.), which have been detailed by Dr. Buddha Prakash in his article recently Though one could earn handsome profits by going across the seas one also faced many difficulties such as risking one's life.
8. Digging of the Rohanparvata (Rohanammi khananam)
It was believed that Rohanparvata is situated in the a boys of inferno and was made of gold. People go there and bring gold by digging and thus become rich. There are two references in Kuvalayamala where a description has been given. about the Rohan Khanan, Sagardatta, on leaving home because of insults, thinks over the means of earning money sitting in a garden of Jaishrinagari. Whether he should go beyond the sea infested by crocodiles or should dig up the Rohanparvata situated in the inferno,
The other reference is that when the poor young merchant of Champanagari were not able to earn money by other means they reached somehow other, the Rohan deep. Hearing its name their joy knows no bounds and they think that in this deep, when even the unlucky (impious) get wealth, why should not we get gems by digging the Rohandeep. 6
From the above it is clear that Rohankhanana was the last means af earning money. Only a man who was not able to earn money by any other means thought of Rohankhanana and get money from there. It appears that this particular means. of earning money was the symbolic of labour. It meant that just as it is very
1. णमो इंदस्स, णमो धरीणंदस्स, णमो घणयालस्स, Kuv 104.31.
2. समराइच्चकहा VI Bhava.
3. "An eighth century Indian document on International Trade" published in the Bulletin of the Institute of Traditional Cultures, Dec. 1970, Madras-4.
4. दुत्तरो जलही सुदंरं वणिज्जं जस्स जिवियं ण बल्लहं Kuv. 67,7-9.
5. जा पाताले पत्तो खणामि सा रोहणं चेय, 104,18,
6. एयं तं दीववरं जत्थ अउण्णो वि पावए अन्थं ।
एंपइ ताव खणाभो जा एंपत्ताइं रयणाइ ॥ - 191.12,
११२ अगरचन्द नाहटा अभिनन्दन ग्रन्थ