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Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c9.s33: 22. Deposits

Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c9.s33

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22. Deposits

c9.s33.1

Regarding law-suits, Strabo is our only source of ascertaining what Megasthenes said, and he is known often to abridge his original very considerably. Strabo writes : 'The simplicity of their laws and their contracts is proved by the fact that they seldom go to law. They have no suits about pledges or deposits, nor do they require either seals or witnesses, but make their deposits and confide in each other¹.' This statement, which again follows the account of Nearchus, has been explained by Breloer on the assumption that the Greek writers were thinking of the elaborate Greek procedure regarding deposits which invariably needed a written document, six witnesses and a seal, and the form of private suit (dike) in connection with such pledges and deposits. Witnesses and seals are, of course, known to Indian law, and the *Arthaśāstra* is no exception here. But when there is a proper meaning that we can find for the statements we get at second hand, it would be well to accept it and acquit the Greek writers of misunderstanding Indian conditions or of idealising them².

c9.s33.2

¹ Strabo, XV, 1, 53 (p. 56)=Meg. Frag. xxvii (p. 70) Also Frag. xxvii B and C (p. 73).

c9.s33.3

² Breloer, *op. cit.*, pt. ii, pp. 70-158. *Contra*. Stein, *op. cit.* pp. 204-5.

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