History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c43.81

v3.c43.81

²⁰²¹ यत्किञ्चित्कुरुते पापं पुरुषो वृत्तिकर्शितः। अपि गोचर्ममात्रेण भूमिदानेन शुध्यति॥ वसिष्ठ 29. 16, अनुशासन 62. 19, बृह. 7, भविष्यपुराण 4. 164. 18. The मिता. on या. I. 210 quotes it as Manu's and reads the 2nd पाद as ‘ज्ञानतोऽज्ञानतोऽपि वा’. Bṛhaspati defines gocarma as equal to ten nivartanas and a nivartana is defined by him as land that is 30 rods (square) with a rod of ten cubits. दशहस्तेन दण्डेन त्रिंशद्दण्डैर्निवर्तनम्। दश तान्येव विस्तारो गोचर्मैतन्महत्फलम्॥ बृह. 8. The मिताक्षरा on या. I. 210 quotes बृह. as सप्तहस्तेन...दश तान्येव गोचर्म दत्त्वा स्वर्गे महीयते। शातातप I. 17 also reads ‘दशहस्तेन &c’. Bṛ. 9 gives another definition of gocarma ‘that extent of land which a thousand cows with their calves and a bull occupy without being compelled to stand doing nothing is called gocarma’ सवृषं गोसहस्रं तु यत्र तिष्ठत्यतन्त्रितम्। बालवत्साम्प्रसूतानां तद्गोचर्म इति स्मृतम्॥ पराशर XII. 49 says that that land which a hundred cows with one bull occupy without being closely packed together is gocarma. Viṣṇu Dh. S. 5. 181 defines gocarma differently as ‘that much land of whatever extent the crops raised on which will maintain one man for a year’. Vide Aparārka p. 1225 and Hemādri (Vratakhaṇḍa, part 1 pp. 52-53) for several definitions of gocarma. The word *nivartana* is very ancient. Kauṭ. (II. chap. 20) says that daṇḍa is equal to four *aratnis*, ten daṇḍas are equal to one *rajju* and 3 rajjas are equal to a nivartana (so that a nivartana is 30 daṇḍas). The Baud. Dh. S. (III. 2. 2-4) speaks of a brāhmaṇa who maintains himself by cultivating six nivartanas of land. A field of 100 nivartanas is mentioned in Nasik Inscription No 5 (E. I. vol. VIII p. 73). The word nivartana occurs also in a grant of the Pallava king Śivaskandavarman (E. I. vol. I p. 6). Vide E. I. vol. XI p. 280 for a note on *nivartana*.