History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.791

v4.c63.791

Hired servants have different grades among them arising from the work they do, the wages they receive and the period for which they are employed and they are distinguished from apprentices in these respects and not as regards caste or mode of maintenance. According to Nār. VIII. 22-23 and Bṛ. (S. B. E. vol. 33, p. 344 verse 8) a hired servant is of three kinds and his wages depend on the work he does and his ability to do it. The three kinds are the highest (viz. a soldier), middling (an agriculturist), the lowest⁸⁴⁶ (a porter). A hired servant may be engaged for a day, a fortnight, a month or for longer periods, should perform the work undertaken and get the wages agreed upon. He may be paid in cash or by giving him a share of crops or a share in the milk of the cattle he tends⁸⁴⁷.