History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.617

v4.c63.617

There were two other special kinds of ādhi described in Yāj. II. 61 viz. *caritrabandhaka*⁷²⁴ and *satyaṅkāra*. The first occurs either when the creditor being known to be very honest the debtor gives as security a property of very great value for a small debt or where a debtor being known to be very honest a property of very small value is accepted as security for a large debt. In such a case there is no forfeiture or foreclosure of the property in any case but the king (or judge) should award only double the principal lent. Another meaning is that in a *caritrabandhaka* it is the merit (*apūrva* or *puṇya*) arising from bathing in the Ganges or from performance of *agnihotra* that is given as security (i. e. he will forfeit merit on non-payment). In this case the creditor will receive double and there is no loss or forfeiture of ādhi. A pledge made with *satyaṅkāra* occurs when at the time of making a pledge the stipulation is 'I am liable to pay only double but there will be no loss of the thing pledged' or (a second meaning of) *satyaṅkāra* is that 'when an earnest (a ring or the like) is given at the time of a sale and the vendor breaks the promise he has to pay double of the earnest'.