Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c7.s4: Commerce
Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c7.s4
- Language
- English
Commerce
c7.s4.1
Commerce was the largest contribution only next to that of land revenue. Taxes on commerce and industry were imposed in consideration of the difficulty or otherwise of purchase and sale of goods by merchants, their standard of life, family expenses and incidental charges on intermediaries and labour. The taxes were imposed by the king and it depended on him whether to levy taxes from a merchant or not. The *Nāyādhammakahā* refers to the sea-faring merchants of Campā who visited the king of Mihilā with the precious gift of a pair of ear-rings. The king was much pleased to receive the gifts and exempted the merchants from the tax⁵ Then we hear of the merchant Ayala who returned from Pārasaula with a huge amount of wealth. He visited the ruler of Bennāyada with a plate (*thāla*) full of silver, gold and pearls and was exempted from tax.⁶
c7.s4.2
⁵ 8. p. 102.
c7.s4.3
⁶ *Uttarā. Ṭī.*, 3. p. 64