Lectures on Ancient Indian Numismatics (Carmichael Lectures, 1921) c7.48

c7.48

There is another class of coins referred to in the Brāhmaṇas,—I mean Kṛiṣṇala. Thus the Taittirīya-Brāhmaṇa has the following passage: *Kṛiṣṇalam Kṛiṣṇalam Vājasṛidbhyaḥ prayachchhati*,³ i.e. he gives a Kṛiṣṇala to each racer. Kṛiṣṇala, we know, denotes the well-known raktikā or guñjā berry, and what Kṛiṣṇala here means is a coin, possibly of gold, weighing one guñjā berry. This receives confirmation from the fact that the Kāṭhaka-Saṃhitā makes mention of *hiraṇya* Kṛiṣṇala,⁴ i.e. the gold coin Kṛiṣṇala. Kṛiṣṇala certainly continued to be known as a coin as late as the time of Manu.⁵ Thus in Chapter VIII, e.g., he ordains that a hired servant or workman, who, without being ill, out of pride fails to perform his work according to the agreement, shall be fined eight Kṛiṣṇalas.