Theory of Government in Ancient India (Post-Vedic) c14.s1.2

c14.s1.2

The Buddhist records are slightly better. The Vinaya Piṭaka shows that the functions of guilds had transcended the economic sphere. A guild could, on certain occasions at least, arbitrate between a member and his wife. Again, its sanction was necessary for the ordination of the wife of any of its members.¹ A woman thief was not to be ordained without the permission of the king and the guilds. The guild thus tends to become a social corporation. The Jātakas throw some light on guilds. As Fick observes, they reveal clear difference between the organizations of merchants and those of artisans. From the heredity of occupations, the localisation of the different branches of industry and the institutions of jetthakas or aldermen, Fick infers the presence of an administrative organisation. From the very nature of their callings, a group of artizans permanently settled in a definite area were