Chandragupta Maurya and His Times c15.123

c15.123

The *Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upanishad* speaks of a gift made to Yājñavalkya in the form of five *pādas* of gold with which the horns of 1000 cows were hung, a total gift of 10,000 *pādas*. Weights of gold and probably a gold currency are indicated in such terms as *Ashṭāprud* [*Kāṭhaka Samhitā*, Chapter XI, 1,] or *Śatamāna* defined as "a weight of 100 *kṛishṇalas*" [*Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa*, V. 5, 5, 16]. The *Śatapatha* [XII. 2, 3. 2] also refers to payment of sacrificial fee in terms of gold (*hiraṇya*). whether *Suvarṇa* or *Śatamāna*.