Introduction to Economic Conditions

45 199 CHAPTER III ECONOMIC CONDITIONS The entire supersturcture of a society has an economic base.' The method of production and the ownership. of the means of production affects all relationships. It is therefore important to make a study of the economic conditions of the period. A study of the Kathasaritsagara throws some light on prevailing economic conditions. The material from the Kathasaritsagara is not adequate to present a systamatic account of the economic life of the people. But certain facts and figures help us to depict to a certain extent a rough picture of contemporary economic life of the people. The study of the physical environment which is the basis of all economic life and activity must be studied first before we start our investigation. The geographical conditions were probably the same as now. The climate was the same. The Indo-Gangetic plain was the most fertile and rich land. The Malva plalean was as it is now a fertile land. Draughts and heaving rainfall in the Indian sub-continent are often mentioned. Common people seem to migrate during acute famines from one region to another. Facilities of communication were very few. Roads were bad and often infested with thieves and robbers. Internal and external trade was intensive.)

1 200 Commercial and agricultural centres are referred to in the stories. Various industries and occupations flourished. Most of these were hereditary. Coinage and currency as well as barter were prevalent. The Village | Agriculture was the premies industry. This and other such occupations constituted the rural scenes. The whole country was filled with a net-work of villages and towns. A village included all cultivated and uncultivated land. Even though we do not get references to the varieties of soils in the Kathasaritsagara we may presume that fertile, fallow, desert and excellent land existed. There was all around development of agriculture, industry and trade. The arable land was adjacent to the village, adjacent to which were the pastures for grazing the cattle. The cow-herd (gopalaka) or the abhira took the village cattle to these pastures for graging. Many suburban groves are mentioned in the Kathasaritsagara Beyond these tay the wood-lands.! The Seasons At many places in the Kathasaritsagara the seasons have been described vividly. Droughts, famines, non-stop rains, the cool winter, the hot summer, the refreshing spring

201 2 are mentioned. At one place it is stated that the rays of the sun were exceedingly powerful, the monsoon came roaring bearing the brandished sword of lightening and switfing with rain drops. It rained day and night with such a heavy down-fall that black darkness was spread 3 4 abroad. Once in the Vindhaya country it continuously rained for five days. (panchawasaran Achichinna dhara) and (ghora meghalgha pravarshati divanisham). It is mentioned that during the summer the sun was very sharp and his rays hot; the fragrant wind blew, lines of dust raised by the wind flew up to the heaven, nights were reduced 5 and the travellers were exhausted by the severe heat. Famines Searcity owing to drought or floods is often referred to. Many serious famines in the country of Kasi, Kosala Kalinga, Ayodhya, Ujjayini, Taxi axifa, Deccan etc. have been mentioned. In the days of famine grass-fields as 7 well as corn-fields were scorched by the heat of the sun. 2. Nirnaya Sagar 9.5.33, 12.11.22,23,24,29, 16.1.30-31. 3. Ibid. 12.11.29. 4. Ibid. 12.5.132. 5. Ibid. 12.29.12-16, 12.28.14.16. 6. Ibid. 12.2.41,42, 5.2.76, 6.1.94, 13.1.21-22,12.3.31, 12.2.30, 6.1.94, 12.3.42. That the famines were a common feature in ancient India and especially in Pataliputra, Deccan, Uttarapatha and Kosala can be seen from the Jain cononical texts, Jain J.C. op. cit., p.92. 7. Ibid. 12.3.42, 9.6.12.

202 Famine and Migrations (During severe famine there were migrations to adjacent or distant countires. These mass migrations 8 are mentioned in Kathasaritsagara People migrated with their wealth, 9 servants, cattle and other belongings. Famine-payments to the people were made by kings. King Malayaprabha of Kurukshatra is said to have made 10 such famine-payment to his subjects. But at times when the famine was more acute kings are also mentioned as playing bandits and robbing their own subjects unlawfully. 11