The Mauryan Polity c10.s3.t3: Trade and commerce
The Mauryan Polity c10.s3.t3
- Language
- English
Trade and commerce
c10.s3.t3.1
The fourth administrative board was that of trade and commerce. The *Arthaśāstra* asks the city merchants to entertain strangers on their own responsibility and make a report of these merchants who deal in forbidden articles of merchandise, and who sell these in any place or time without due regard for the orders of the authorities of the city. Ordinarily merchants were to deal in their own merchandise and not in those which belonged to others. Perhaps to deal in them required a special license which Megasthenes probably calls a double tax.¹ It may be pointed out also that Kauṭalya imposes stringent regulations in regard to weights and measures.² Even the slightest difference was not tolerated. Sale by public notice was exactly what the author of the *Arthaśāstra* has recommended. The process of this sale is given as follows: "In a place proximate to the flag of the toll house, articles of merchandise for sale are to be gathered each in their respective places. The owners of the articles in question were to proclaim the real quantity contained together with its value. Three times it was given aloud. Who will buy such a quantity of merchandise for so much price? Afterwards he who was willing to buy it for that price could purchase it."³ The tax on sales was one of the sources of revenue, and hence the control of sale was under the Board of Trade, each article offered for sale being marked with the official stamp.⁴
c10.s3.t3.2
¹ Bk. II, ch. 36. See also ch. 16, 19, and Bk. IV, ch. 2.
c10.s3.t3.3
² Bk. II, ch. 19.
c10.s3.t3.4
³ Bk. II, ch. 21.
c10.s3.t3.5
⁴ *abhijñānamudra*, Ibid.
Linked texts (1)
- Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit