The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c17.47

c17.47

Those day-labourers enjoyed a comparatively favourable position who were in the service of one and the same employer for a long time or permanently. Every big land-owner, every rich tradesman had, according to the Jâtakas, along with his slaves, a number of day-labourers in his service. One's own people (attano purisâ), the bondsmen, to whom in the Sâlikedâra Jâtaka (IV. 277) the Brâhmaṇa gives a portion of the rice fields for guarding, are contrasted with the bhataka who gets a salary (bhati) for watching and who is held responsible for any damage and has to pay a compensation according to the appraisement of the owner (brâhmaṇo sâliṃ agghâpetvâ mayhaṃ iṇaṃ karissati). In the house of the pious Brâhmaṇa Dhammapâla even the slaves and labourers (dâsakammakarâ IV. 50) give alms; they obey the moral prescriptions and observe the fasts. That in the Visayha Jâtaka the slaves and day-labourers (dâsakammakaraporisa) are reckoned among the property of a seṭṭhi has already been mentioned (p. 262). Of another seṭṭhi, it is narrated in the introduction to the Mayhaka Jâtaka, that at the sight of a begging monk whom he sees coming with a full alms pot from his house, he cannot restrain his thoughts: "If my slaves or labourers (dâsâ vâ kammakârâ vâ III. 300) had received this food, they would have done more difficult work ; alas, this is really a loss for me.”