History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.20.2

v4.c63.20.2

on the king's own action) such as transgressions of the king's commandments and obedience to his injunctions, grants of towns, dissensions among the constituent elements (such as ministers) of the State, the duties and breaches there of among heretics, followers of the veda, corporations (of merchants) and groups, dispute between father and son, neglect of prescribed penances, abstraction of gifts made to worthy persons, the wrath of hermits, sinful confusion of castes and the rules regarding their maintenance and (in short) whatever (matter) has been omitted in the preceding (vyavahārapadas)—these are treated under prakīrṇaka'.³³¹ Bṛhaspati defines prakīrṇaka in the same way as Nārada. Kauṭilya deals with the vyavahārapadas in his Dharmasthīya (III) section and in the Kaṇṭakaśodhana section (IV) speaks of matters that are similarly dealt with by officers called *pradeṣṭṛs* (who correspond to coroners and police magistrates of modern times), while matters falling under the dharmasthīya section (viz. the vyavahārapadas) were disposed off by judges (called *dharmasthas*). Kaṇṭaka means in Kauṭilya as in Manu IX. 252 'harmful persons'. The chief matters that fell within the purview of the kaṇṭakaśodhana (removal or punishment of harmful persons) officers or courts were: Artisans like blacksmiths and carpenters were generally to work in guilds and receive from people materials for working them up;