History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.563

v4.c63.563

⁶⁸² भोगो यद्विगुणादूर्ध्वं चक्रवृद्धिश्च गृह्यते । मूलं च सोदयं पश्चाद्वार्धुष्यं तच्च गर्हितम् । बृह० quoted by वि. चि. p. 6 which says द्विगुणाधिकवृद्धिग्रहणं वृद्धेर्वृद्धिग्रहणं वृद्ध्या सह मूलमेकीकृत्य मूलत्वेनैव तद्ग्रहणं एतत्त्रयं निन्दितमिति गृहस्थरत्नाकरः. Vide p. 445 of गृह. र. This verse occurs in वि. र. p. 14 which says that such actions are condemned, but if a Shylock insists on his agreement he can and does recover compound interest and so on: 'तद्वार्धुष्यं विगर्हितम्, अधर्माय तद्भवति न तु भोगाधिकं तन्न लभते एव तल्लाभस्य तैस्तैर्वाक्यैर्बोधनात्'. This shows that the ancient sages were quite alive to the hardships of debtors and the evils of usurious interest. They condemned usury as a greater sin than even the murder of a learned brāhmaṇa. Vide Baud. Dh. S. I. 5. 93 and Vas. II. 40-42 quoted above on pp. 417-418.