Verse 7.127 [Customs-Duties]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

क्रयविक्रयमध्वानं भक्तं च सपरिव्ययम् ।
योगक्षेमं च सम्प्रेक्ष्य वणिजो दापयेत् करान् ॥ १२७ ॥

krayavikrayamadhvānaṃ bhaktaṃ ca saparivyayam |
yogakṣemaṃ ca samprekṣya vaṇijo dāpayet karān || 127 ||

He should make the traders pay duties, after due investigation of the details of buying and selling, the journey involved, fooding along with its accessories, and the measures of safety.—(127)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Now follows the system of realising duties.

At what price the merchandise has been bought—what price it will fetch when sold—what time it will take in selling—what deterioration, if any, it is likely to suffer—the consideration of all this constitutes the ‘investigation of the details of buying and selling’.

‘Journey’—whether it takes much or little time to obtain it.

‘Fooding’—Flour, Rice &c.

‘Accessories’—e.g. butter, pulse, vegetables; as also fuel and such things.

‘Measures of safety’—i.e. when passing through forests whether or not things were secure against molestation by kings and robbers.

Having duly investigated all these, the King shall realise duties from the traders.

The right reading is ‘vaṇigbhir dāpayet karān’; because according to the sūtra ‘gatibuddhi &c.’ (Panini), there is nothing to justify the Accusative case in ‘vaṇijaḥ,’ Or, the root in ‘dāpayet’ may mean ‘fine’, and hence like the root ‘daṇḍī’, it may take two objects (which would justify the said Accusative ending).—(127)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Yoyakṣemam’—‘Charges incurred for security of property against royalty and thieves and robbers’ (Medhātithi);—‘net profits (yoga) and charges for securing the goods against robbers &c.’ (Kullūka).

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 259), which adds the following notes:—What has been paid for the cloth, salt and other articles of merchandise? What are likely to be the profits from selling them? From what distance has all this been brought? What quantity of food and vegetables and condiments have been spent by the man in importing the goods? How much he has lost over the charges incurred in securing his goods against robbers and other dangers of the journey? What is the profit he is actually making? What is he spending over the guarding of his merchandise against robbers and thieves?—the King should take into consideration all this and then fix the taxes payable by the traders.

This verse is quoted also in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 404).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Mahābhārata (12.87.13-14).—(Same as Manu, but reading ‘Kūrayet’ for ‘dāpayet.’)

Arthaśāstra (p. 241).—‘The officer in charge of the department of trade shall keep himself informed of the demand, or absence of demand, for commodities produced from land and water; those imported by land and water; and also the relative prices of these; and the time for their sale and export. He shall fix the prices.’

Do. (p. 270).—‘He shall fix the customs and duties payable on exports and imports.’