History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.808.2

v4.c63.808.2

It does credit to the ancient writers on dharmaśāstra that they were tolerant enough to require the king, whatever his own religious persuasion might be, to honour and enforce the usages of even heretics among themselves. The only requirement was that the enforcement of their usages must not be opposed to the interest of the country or the capital and must not cause commotion and must not be plainly immoral⁸⁵⁶ (Nār. XIII. 4-5 and 7 and Medhātithi on Manu VIII. 220). Yāj. (II. 188-192) lays down the following rules: there should be a committee (of two, three or five, acc. to Bṛ.)⁸⁵⁷ to look after the business of the guilds &c. (called *kāryacintaka*) who should be religious, pure, not covetous and all members should carry out what they decide upon; when the committee members approach the king on some business of their guild he should bestow on them gifts and honour them. Whatever is obtained by any one sent on the business of the group must be handed over by him to the heads of the group (also Bṛ. in S. B. E. vol. 33 p. 349 verse 22)⁸⁵⁸ and if he does not do so he should be fined eleven times as much. Whoever goes against the heads of the group that are working for its benefit should be punished in the first amercement (by the group itself, acc. to Sm. C. II. p. 224). Kāt.