History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.540.2

v4.c63.540.2

14 explains the word ‘Pramaganda’ occurring therein as ‘one who is born of a family that is extremely usurious’.⁶⁷² Pāṇini employs the technical word ‘uttamarṇa’ (creditor) in his sūtra ‘dhārer-uttamarṇaḥ’ (I. 4. 35), he speaks of ‘ādhamarṇya’ (the position of a debtor) in II. 3. 70 and the word ‘pratibhū’ occurs in Pāṇini II. 3. 39, the word ‘vṛddhi’ (interest) in V. 1. 47. Pāṇini (IV. 4. 31) derives the words ‘kusīdika’ and ‘kusīdikīn.’ It is noteworthy that Pāṇini does not derive or mention the word *vārdhuṣika*, which is employed by even Āp. Dh. S. and Baud. Dh. S. and which is derived by Kātyāyana (the grammarian) in Vārtika 3 on Pāṇini IV. 4. 30, in which Pāṇini refers to such words as ‘dvaiguṇika’ or ‘traiguṇika’ which were applied to people that carried on the condemned methods of money-lending viz. extorting twofold or threefold of the money lent (the sūtra is ‘prayacchati garhyam’). Brahmaṇaspati is spoken of as ‘one who recovers a debt (*ṛṇam-ādadir*) in Ṛg. II. 24. 13 and the Ādityas as those ‘who, themselves being the observers of *ṛta* (the universal Law of Right), collect⁶⁷³ debts’ (Ṛg. II. 27. 4). In Ṛg. VIII. 32. 16 it is said that those priests who extract (and offer) Soma juice do not indeed owe a debt (to the gods). Divodāsa is said in Ṛg. VI. 61.