Carl Clausewitz - The Strategy of Warfare – Boxed Set

Trustworthy persons shall be judges in disputes regarding colour and experts shall determine the necessary wages.

For washing the best garments, the wages shall be one pana; for those of middle quality, half a pana; and for those of inferior quality ¼th of a pana.

For rough washing on big stones, the wages shall be ⅛th of a pana.

[In the first wash of red-coloured clothes, there is a loss of ¼th part (of the colour); in the second wash, 1/5th part. This explains subsequent losses. The rules pertaining to washermen are also applicable to weavers.

Goldsmiths who, without giving information (to the government), purchase from unclean hands silver or golden articles without changing the form of the articles shall be fined 12 panas; if they do the same changing the form of the articles (i.e., melting), they shall be fined 24 panas; if they purchase the same from the hands of a thief, they shall be fined 48 panas; if they purchase an article for less than its value after melting it in secret, they shall be liable to the punishment for theft; likewise for deception with manufactured articles. When a goldsmith steals from a suvarna gold equal to the weight of a másha (1/16th of a suvarna), he shall be punished 200 panas; when he steals from a silver dharana silver equal to the value of a másha, he shall be fined 12 panas. This explains the proportional enhancement of punishments. When a goldsmith removes the whole amount of the gold (karsha) from a suvarna by apasárana method or by any other deceiptful combination (yoga), he shall be punished with a fine of 500 panas. In case of contaminating them (gold and silver) in any way, the offence shall be regarded as loss of their intrinsic colour.

One másha shall be the fee for the manufacture of a silver dharana; for the manufacture of a suvarna, ⅛th of the same; or fees may be increased to twice the above according to the skill of the manufacturer. This explains the proportional increase of fees.

Fees for the manufacture of articles from copper, brass, vaikrinataka, and árakúta shall be five percent. In the manufacture of articles from copper (?), 1/10th of the copper will be lost. For the loss of a pala in weight, a fine of twice the loss shall be imposed. This explains the proportional increase of punishments. In the manufacture of articles from lead and tin, 1/20th of the mass will be lost. One kákani shall be the fee for manufacturing an article of a pala in weight of the above. In the manufacture of articles from iron, 1/5th of the mass will be lost; two kákanis shall be the fee for manufacturing an article of a pala in weight from iron. This explains the proportional increase of fees.

When the examiner of coins declares an unacceptable current coin to be worthy of being entered into the treasury or rejects an acceptable current coin, he shall be fined 12 panas. When the examiner of coins misappropriates a másha from a current coin of a pana, the tax, (Vyájí) of five percent on the coin having been duly paid, he shall be fined 12 panas. This explains the proportional increase of fines. When a person causes a counterfeit coin to be manufactured, or accepts it, or exchanges it, he shall be fined 1,000 panas; he who enters a counterfeit coin into the treasury shall be put to death.]

(Scavengers.)

Of whatever precious things sweepers come across while sweeping, one-third shall be taken by them and two-thirds by the king. But precious stones shall be wholly surrendered to the king. Seizure of precious stones shall be punished with the highest amercement.

A discoverer of mines, precious stones, or treasure troves shall, on supplying the information to the king, receive 1/6th of it as his share; but if the discoverer happens to be a peon (bhritaka), his share shall be only 1/12th of it.

Treasure troves valued beyond 100,000 shall wholly be taken by the king. But if they are of less value, the discover shall receive 1/6th of it as his share.

Such treasure troves as a man of pure and honest life can prove to be his ancestral property shall wholly be taken by the man himself. Taking possession of a treasure trove without establishing such claim shall be punished with a fine of 500 panas. Taking possession of the same in secret shall be punished with a fine of 1,000 panas.

(Medical Practice).

Physicians undertaking medical treatment without intimating (to the government) the dangerous nature of the disease shall, if the patient dies, be punished with the first amercement. If the death of a patient under treatment is due to carelessness in the treatment, the physician shall be punished with the middle-most amercement. Growth of disease due to negligence or indifference (karmavadha) of a physician shall be regarded as assault or violence.

(Musicians).

Bands of musicians (kúsílavah) shall, during the rainy season, stay in a particular place. They shall strictly avoid giving too much indulgence or causing too much loss (atipátam) to any one. Violation of the above rule shall be punished with a fine of 12 panas. They may hold their performances to their liking in accordance with the procedure of their country, caste, family, profession, or copulation.

The same rules shall apply to dancers, dumb-players and other mendicants.

For offences, mendicants shall receive as many lashes with an iron rod as the number of panas imposed on them.

Wages for the works of other kinds of artisans shall be similarly determined.

Thus traders, artisans, musicians, beggers, buffoons and other idlers who are thieves in effect though not in name shall be restrained from oppression on the country.

[Thus ends Chapter I, “Protection of artisans” in Book IV, “The Removal of Thorns” of the Arthasástra of Kautilya. End of the seventy-eighth chapter from the beginning.]

Table of Contents

THE Superintendent of Commerce shall allow the sale or mortgage of any old commodities (purána bhándanám) only when the seller or mortgagor of such articles proves his ownership of the same. With a view to prevent deception, he shall also supervise weights and measures.

Difference of half a pala in such measures as are called parimání and drona is no offence. But difference of a pala in them shall be punished with a fine of 12 panas.

Fines for greater differences shall be proportionally increased.

Difference of a karsha in the balance called tulá is no offence. Difference of two karshas shall be punished with a fine of 6 panas. Fines for greater differences shall be proportionally increased.

Difference of half a karsha in the measure called ádhaka is no offence; but difference of a karsha shall be punished with a fine of 3 panas.

For greater differences, fines shall be proportionally increased.

Fines for differences in weight in other kinds of balances shall be inferred on the basis of the above rule.

When a merchant purchases by a false balance a greater quantity of a commodity and sells under the same nominal weight a less quantity by the same or another false balance, he shall be punished with double the above fines.

Deception on the part of a seller to the extent of ⅛th part of the articles valued at a pana and sold by number shall be punished with a fine of 96 panas.

The sale or mortgage of articles such as timber, iron, brilliant stones, ropes, skins, earthenware, threads, fibrous garments, and woollen clothes as superior though they are really inferior shall be punished with a fine of 8 times the value of the articles thus sold.

When a trader sells or mortgages inferior as superior commodities, articles of some other locality, as the produce of a particular locality, adulterated things, or deceitful mixtures, or when he dexterously substitutes other articles for those just sold (samutparivartimam), he shall not only be punished with a fine of 54 panas but also be compelled to make good the loss.