Hindu Polity: A Constitutional History of India in Hindu Times c40.82

c40.82

⁴ Cf. मन्दोत्सुक्योऽस्मि नगरगमनं प्रति, *Śakuntalā*, Act II. पुरं मुख्यनगरम्—*Vīramitrodaya*, p. 11. The term for ordinary town or township is ग्राम *e.g.* ग्रामपौराण्यक्षेणश्यम्चातुर्विद्यश्च वणिजः। *Ibid.* The *Artha-Śāstra* uses the word नगर and दुर्ग for the capital, and ग्राम for ordinary town. Pāṇini and Patañjali use नगर and पुर for capital, and ग्राम for ordinary town. Cf. Pāṇini VII. 3. 14 and Kāśikā on that; also VI. 2. 100; Patañjali, on the use of ग्राम for town, शाकलं नाम वाहीकग्रामः on Pāṇini IV. 2. 104. *Śākala* which was the old capital of the Madras ceased to be a नगर of capital under Pushyamitra. It is probably for that reason called a ग्राम, an ordinary town. See also *Artha-Śāstra*, p. 46 f.n. **नगरं राजधानी.** The commentator, commenting on the *nāgarikāḥ* in Vātsyāyana's *Kāma-Sūtra* (Bk. II. ch. 5) says: