Verse 8.142

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

द्विकं त्रिकं चतुष्कं च पञ्चकं च शतं समम् ।
मासस्य वृद्धिं गृह्णीयाद् वर्णानामनुपूर्वशः ॥ १४२ ॥

dvikaṃ trikaṃ catuṣkaṃ ca pañcakaṃ ca śataṃ samam |
māsasya vṛddhiṃ gṛhṇīyād varṇānāmanupūrvaśaḥ || 142 ||

He may charge just two, three, four or five per cent. per month from the four castes respectively.—(142)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

From the four castes, Brāhmaṇa and the rest, respectively, he shall charge the four rates, two per cent, and so forth. These four rates are sanctioned in relation to the four castes respectively.

‘Just,’—i.e., not exceeding by even a half or a quarter. This term has been added to preclude the idea that the expression ‘two per cent.’ may be applicable to ‘two and a quarter’ or ‘two and a half.’ Just as the shortest alteration, even by a single syllable, of a name makes the name a totally different one (so the addition of even a quarter would make the rate totally different).

This also is an alternative open to the man who cannot maintain his family at the former rate of interest; or to one who has only a small capital; or to cases where the borrowers are not specially righteous persons.

The propriety of this would be analogous to the act of doing a righteous act with the money extorted from wicked persons.

For ‘samam,’ ‘just,’ another reading is ‘samām.’

This rate of interest however is to be charged for one year only, and not beyond that; as the rates being high, the principal might become more than doubled.—(142)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This rule is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 8), which adds the following notes:—‘Dvikam’ means ‘that in which two Purāṇas per month are charged’; so with ‘trika’ and the other terms.—From the Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya and Śūdra, one should charge an interest of two, three, four and five Purāṇas respectively, for every hundred of the debt;—in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 320);—and in Kṛtyakalpataru (67b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.140-142)

See Comparative notes for Verse 8.140.