History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.287

v4.c62.287

¹⁶⁴ The word hiraṇya has two senses 'gold' and 'money or 'cash' whether in gold, silver or copper (as said by Amara who gives 'draviṇa' as a synonym). When Kauṭilya says that the king may pay 'hiraṇya' and not 'grāma' he means only cash payment and not necessarily only gold; vide the copperplate grant of Śīlāditya VII in Gupta Inscriptions p. 179 at p. 189 where the grant of a village is said to be 'sadhānyahiraṇyādeyaḥ'. Here *dhānya* (payment of tax in kind) is contradistinguished from payment in *hiraṇya* i. e. in cash (either gold, silver or copper). When Patañjali states that the Mauryas being greedy of 'hiraṇya' founded or manufactured images (Mahābhāṣya vol. II. p. 429 on Pāṇ. V. 3. 99 quoted in H. Dh. vol. II p. 710 n. 1696) what is meant is that they wanted cash and not merely gold.