Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c9.t22: Slaves and Servants

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c9.t22

Language: English

Slaves and Servants

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Nature and man are the primary factors of production. We have considered the part played by nature in production and shall now consider labour or what is called the human factor in Economics.

Unfortunately, we do not know much about the details of labour. A distinction is made between high and low (juṅgiya) labour. The hunters, fowlers, fishermen, washermen, peacock-tamers, barbers, cobblers¹ and in some countries even black-smiths and wine-sellers² came under the category of low. Then the following occupations were despised, since there was fear of injury to living beings (kammādāna) in these occupations: dealing in charcoal by preparing it from firewood (aṅgālakamma), dealing in wood (vanakamma), carts (sāḍīkamma), occupation with fares (bhāḍikamma), ploughing (phoḍikamma), ivory (danta), lac (lakkha), liquors (rasa), and poison (visa), crushing of sugarcane etc. by machinery (jantapīḷaṇa), branding animals or castrating bulls etc. (nillañchana), setting fire to woods (davaggidāvanayā), draining lakes and ponds (saradahatalāvasosanaya), and bringing up women for immoral purposes (asaijaṇaposanayā).³

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¹ Nisi, cū 4. p. 345; 11. p. 747.

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² ibid 16, p. 1117

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³ Uvā. 1, p. 11, Bhag. 8 5, cf. the five low occupations in the com. of Dīgh., Vol. I, p. 235.

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Among various servants employed in the houses there were kammakāras, ghodas (caṭṭa), pesas (messengers), dāsas and govālas (cowherds). They were apparently not so enthusiastic about religion. It is said that often they made fun of the Jain monks. There were quarrels between the servants and the sādhu and instigated by the servants the householder sometimes turned the sādhu out of the house.⁴

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⁴ Brh Bhā 1. 2634.

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Slavery was quite common in those days. Both male and female slaves (dāsas and dāsīs) were household or domestic servants who resided in the family of the master and performed all sorts of household work.

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Slavery was so common that not only kings⁵ and wealthy people but even others kept slaves in their families. The slaves are mentioned along with land (khetta), dwelling place (vatthu), gold (hiraṇṇa) and cattle (pasu) as the means of pleasure.⁶ Dāsa and dāsī are also included among ten kinds of external possessions.⁷ Six classes⁸ of slaves are specifically mentioned: those who were slaves from their birth (gabbha), those who were bought (kiya), those who could not pay their debts (anaya),⁹ those who were made slaves during famine (dubbhikkha),¹⁰ those who could not pay the fine (sāvarāha), and those who were taken prisoners (ruddha).¹¹

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⁵ Cf Otā 6, p 20.

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⁶ Uttarā. Sū. 3, 17.

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⁷ Bṛh Bhā. 1. 825.

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⁸ Cf seven kinds of slaves enumerated in the Manu. (VIII, 415), fourteen in the Yājñavalkya (14, p. 249), Kautilya devotes a whole chapter on slavery (Artha pp 205-208).

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⁹ The Piṇḍa Nir (319) refers to a widow who purchased two palis of oil from a grocer on credit, on non-payment of which she had to serve him as a slave-girl. Cf on paying the value (for which one is enslaved), a slave shall regain his Aryahood (Artha, p. 207).

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¹⁰ Cf. Vya Bhā 2.207, also Mahā Ni. p 28.

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¹¹ Nisi cū II, p. 741 Candanā the first female disciple of Mahāvīra, was a slave of this type (Āva cū, p. 318). According to the Jātakas, slavery might be incurred through capture, commuted death sentence, debt, voluntary self-degradation or judicial punishment (Rhys Davids, Cambridge History of India, p 205).

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Reference has been made to Cilāya, a slave boy who was born of cālātīkā. He was strong and sturdy and used to take care of Sumsumā, the daughter of his master, and made her play with other children. Once he stole the toys of other children and was turned out by his master.¹² Panthaya was another handsome slave boy of Dhana of Rāyagiha, who used to carry his master's child in his arm to the royal road to play. He also used to take his master's tiffin to the prison at the time of the latter's imprisonment.¹³ The Avasyaka cūrṇi refers to another slave-boy who, after the death of his master, became the owner of his property.¹⁴

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¹² Nāyā. 18, p. 207, also Āva cū p 497.

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¹³ Nāyā. p 2, p. 51 f.

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¹⁴ p. 540.

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Like slave-boys, slave-girls also were employed in domestic service. The Uttarādhyayana commentary refers to a festival of the female slaves (dāsīmaha).¹⁵ The Jain texts mention a number of female slaves who were brought from foreign countries. They put on the garb of their countries, and were skilful, accomplished and well-trained. They were hunch-backed women (khujja), kirāta women (cilāya), dwarf women (vāmana), misshapen women (vaḍabhī), women of Babbara, Bausa, Joṇiya, Palhava, Isinaya, Dhorukiṇa, Lāsīya, Lakusika, Draviḍa, Simhala, Araba, Pulinda, Pakkaṇa, Murunda, Sabara, and of Persian race (Pārasa).¹⁶ Female slaves also were given away by way of gifts.¹⁷

Linked texts (5)

Mānava Dharmaśāstra — Manu & Bhṛgu, Sanskrit
Jātaka — Pāli
Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit
Yājñavalkyasmṛti — Yājñavalkya, Sanskrit
Mahānisīha — Haribhadra Sūri, Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit