History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.53.2

v4.c63.53.2

The king could by his own action investigate these even if no private complaint be lodged. Saṁvarta (quoted by the Sm. C. II. p. 28, Par. M. III. pp. 44-45) gives another list which differs in some respects from the above. In the Nālandā copperplate of Devapāladeva (E. I. vol. XVII p. 310, p. 321) an officer called 'daśāparādhika' is mentioned. In many grants from the 7th century onwards among the taxes remitted to the donees we often meet the expression 'together with the ten aparādhas' (sadaśāparādhaḥ', in Valabhi grant of Dhruvasena III dated saṁvat 334 i. e. 653-4 A.D., E. I. vol. I p. 85, at p. 88, E. I. XVII p. 310 at p. 321, in Gupta Ins. No. 39 p. 179 of 766-767 A. D.), or 'daśāparādhādisamastotpattisahito dattaḥ' (in E. I. vol. VII p. 26, p. 40 of śake 852), or ‘sadaṇḍadaśāparādhaḥ’ (E. I. vol. III p. 53 at p. 56, Torkhede plate of Govinda in śake 735, and E. I. vol. III p. 263, 266, the Rajor inscription of Mathanadeva dated Vikrama saṁvat 1016). It is not correct to hold that the words refer to the right of the donee to be exempt from guilt arising from the commission of some traditional offences or that authority was conferred by the grant on the donee to deal with offenders committing the ten aparādhas and to recover the fines imposed by themselves (as suggested in J B O R S for 1916 p. 53n).