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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA ceremonies’,[1] while Monier-Williams recognises the word nāga-vārika in his Sanskrit Dictionary and explains it as ‘ an elephant-driver or keeper ’ and ‘ the chief person in a court or assembly ’ 16. Para-vishayāt=kāraṇ-ābhyāgatō vāṇijakaḥ para-rēshē na grāhyaḥ. The word rēsha means ‘injury’; but its significance in the present context is unknown. The meaning of the āchāra may be that a merchant belonging to another district or kingdom should not be accepted as a witness in a criminal case involving persons of a locality where he happened to be present on account of some reason or other. 17. Āvēdanakēna vinā utkṛishṭī na grāhyā. This seems to be related to No. 16 above ; but the meaning of utkṛishṭī is unknown. Āvēdanaka may indicate ‘a formal complaint in court’ and utkṛishṭī may be the same as Pali ukkuṭṭhi and Sanskrit utkrushṭi, utkrōśa, meaning ‘wailing’. A proper complaint, and not mere wailing, was acceptable to court. 18. Vākpārushya-daṇḍapārushyayōḥ sākshitvē sārī na grāhyā. The sārikā bird could not be allowed to be a witness in cases of defamation and assault. 19 Ḍhēṅku-kaḍḍhaka-nīla-ḍumphakāś=cha vishṭiṁ na kārayitavyāḥ. The ḍumphaka of a nīla-kuṭī, liable to pay a certain tax, is also referred to in No. 48 below ; but who are actually exempted from forced labour (vishṭi) in the present case cannot be determined. The words ḍhēṅku, kaḍḍhaka and ḍumphaka are unknown. Ḍhēṅku may be compared with Hindi ḍheṅkī or ḍheṅkulī meaning a machine for extracting juice, while kaḍḍhaka seems to be a Prakrit form of Sanskrit karshaka. Ḍumphaka may be the same as Sanskrit dṛimphaka meaning ‘one who presses’. The nīla-ḍumphaka possibly manufactured blue dye from the indigo plate. If ḍhēṅku is the same as Gujarati ḍhīkvo, Hindi, ḍhẽklī, ḍhêkul, in the sense of the contrivance (based on the principle of lever) for drawing water from a well, the drawers of water for the irrigation of fields may be the persons indicated by ḍhēṅku-kaḍḍhaka
20. Prapāpūraka-gōpālāḥ rāja-grahēṇa na grāhyāḥ. Prapā-pūraka is a person entrusted with prapā-pūraṇa, i.e. ‘filling the cisterns with water in a place for watering cattle or supplying water to travellers’. Such persons as well as the milkmen were not to be apprehended or recruited for free labour on the king’s behalf.[2] 21. Gṛih-āpaṇa-sthitānāṁ mudrā-patraka-dūtakaiḥ sāhasa-varjjam=āhvānaṁ na karaṇīyam. Persons engaged in work at home or at their shops should not be summoned to court by means of a seal-ring or a letter or by a messenger unless they were involved in a criminal case.[3] 22 Parēṇ=ārth-ābhiyuktānāṁ vāda-pratisamāsanē yajña-sattra-vivāh-ādishu āhvānaṁ na kārayēt. Persons engaged in such works as a sacrifice or a marriage ceremony should not be summoned to court to refute the charges brought against them. Artha may refer to an artha-mūla or civil (and not a hiṁsā-mūla or criminal) suit.[4] Or, there may be reference here to two different sets of persons who should not be summoned, viz. (1) on engaged in yajña, etc.,[5] and (2) one already involved in another case.[6] A word like niratānām seems to be understood after ºādishu. 23. Ṛiṇ-ādān-ābhilēkhita-vyavahārē a-kāshṭha-lōha-baddhēna kṛita-pratibhuvēna(bhuvā) guptir= upāsyā. In connection with a written complaint about the realisation of borrowed money, the debtor, when he was not under wooden or metal handcuffs because of security having been furnished for him by somebody, should enjoy the protection of the court. This seems to say that in the case ______________________________________________
[1] N. G. Majumdar, Inscriptions of Bengal. Vol. III, pp. 8, 166.
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