History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.361.3

v4.c62.361.3

60) remarks that the king should see to it that there is plenty of water in his kingdom by digging wells, wells with steps, tanks, lakes &c. Megasthenes (fragment XXXIV p. 86 of McCrindle's 'Ancient India') says that some superintend the rivers, measure the land as is done in Egypt and inspect the sluices by which water is let out from the main canals into their branches so that every one may have an equal share of it. Kauṭ. (IV. 3) devotes a special chapter to the king's duty to save the kingdom from national calamities, viz. fires, floods, diseases, famines, rats, wild elephants (or beasts), snakes and evil spirits. He gives practical hints for human and religious remedies and rites against these calamities. The measures against famine suggested by him are: the king may provide the people with seeds and food, start works for those who are distressed, distribute either his own collection of provisions or that of the rich or call for help from his allies, tax the rich and make them disgorge their wealth, migrate to other countries that have abundant harvests. National calamities are called *īti*, which are six: excessive rainfall, drought, rats, locusts, parrots and too close presence of foreign kings²⁰³. The work of Kāmandaka states that calamities are either divine or human and that the first are of five kinds. In another place he gives a longer list of calamities. There are several references in ancient and medieval works to severe famines. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad I. 10.