History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.117.6

v4.c63.117.6

This has been already referred to above (p. 9). Bhṛgu further provides that foresters may get their disputes settled by foresters, members of caravans by other members, soldiers by (a tribunal of) soldiers and those who stay in a village as well as in a forest may get their disputes settled either by villagers or by foresters by mutual agreement and that the five tribunals for foresters and others are *kulikas* (high officers or heads of families), *sārthas* (members of caravans), headmen, villagers, citizens. The texts further provide that in certain cases the court was to call in aid outsiders to help in deciding disputes. Vyāsa³⁸¹ says: 'In the case of disputes among traders, artisans, husbandmen and actors it is impossible for others to give a (correct) decision; hence such matters should be got decided by experts in those various matters'. Bṛ. states that in disputes among husbandmen, craftsmen (carpenters and the like), artisans (like painters), money-lenders, guilds, dancers, sectarians (like Pāśupatas) and criminal tribes the decision should be made with the help of those who understand the conventions made by them and their usages. In disputes about the boundaries of villages and about fields in a village, four, eight or ten neighbours were to settle the boundaries (vide Manu VIII. 258, Kauṭ. III. 9, Yāj. II. 150-152). Kauṭ. I. 19 and Bṛ.³⁸² (q. in V. P. p.