The World of Courtesans c7.29

c7.29

Kautilya was a great realist and a shrewd administrator. He did not suffer from any qualms of conscience. To him the prostitutes were state property and any injury to them meant a loss to the state. He, therefore, prescribed a deterrent fine of 72,000 *panas* for killing a *ganika* proceeding to her favourite haunt—the amount supposed to be commensurate with the losses suffered by the king. For killing the bawd, the *ganika's* daughter, and the *rupadasi*, the offender was punished with the highest amercement The comparatively lighter sentence in such cases shows that in awarding it the economic motive was uppermost in the mind of Kautilya the sanctity of human life hardly played any part in determining the severity of the punishment.