Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 331

306
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SŪTRA
[Ch. V
clearly revealed in the arguments of his mother to dissuade him from his resolution to undertake the state of houselessness. It was so great in quantity that if he enjoyed and distributed it according to his desire, it would not get exhausted even in the seventh generation from him.
It is further known that in the case of marriage in the royal family' one crore of gold pieces was the standard amount of dowry for the bride in addition to the other valuable articles. These evidences clearly show that both the earned and unearned wealths inherited from generation to generation formed the capital of an individual citizen in the economic organization and determined the individual and social relations with one another.
Besides these, the capital, combined with the labour power controlled the fields of agriculture, arts and crafts, industry and commerce, production and distribution of wealth of the entire economic system of the society.
Organization
Organization is a most important factor in the economic field, because it brings the capital and labour power into a mutual relation and employs their collective service in the production of the necessaries of social life and national wealth and their distribution among the people at large. Even a big industry or a flourishing business establishment with a large capital declines and ultimately leads to bankruptcy without its proper guidance.
The BhS throws a welcome light upon organization by testifying to the existence of a number of economic guilds and corporations formed of many merchants. They advocated private enterprise based on collective system which gave an impetus and an incentive to the growth of industry, trade and commerce and brought material prosperity to themselves and to the economic life of the people as a whole.
Thus it is learnt that a flourishing economic guild of the merchants, Sankha, Pokkhali and others existed in the city of
1 Bhs, 11, 11, 430,
2 Ib, 12, 1, 437.