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The Mouse Merchant: Money In Ancient India
The book has an interesting foreword that says that while the merchant’s skills were appreciated, he remained nevertheless a Vaishya and at number three in the social scale. It also points out that the tone of the Panchatantra and of the Kathasaritsagara, both of which texts were written by Brahmins, is one of gentle mockery of the desire of Brahmins to pursue trade. One does wish that this volume had tried to unpack the ambiguities involved here. A Brahmin author would always try to uphold the classical norm. But the very fact that there were many Brahmins who were actually involved in trade, suggests that the norm was more often violated than adhered to. Indians have always been practical people and the mere fact that a classical norm existed does not mean that theory and practice were identical. In fact, the later Smritis have even allowed Brahmins who fell on hard times, to practice moneylending. Above all, we need to note that the Panchatantra is a morality tale which was meant by a king to be used for the instruction of his sons. If the stories in the volume support the mercantile ideal unashamedly, then surely that is what the society of those times believed in. Folk literature is important as indicator of the beliefs and norms of the times but it should be seen along with other historical sources and not in isolation. For instance, the book says that there is only one instance of a philanthropic act by a merchant, in these readings. One need only move to a study of Indian inscriptions to find that these are full of acts of dana or donation to monks, to temples, to society and for charitable purposes. And the majority of the donors are merchants. Nevertheless, the book is an interesting collection of stories and deserves to be read for the information it offers about how people thought and how they lived so many years ago. The resonances with modern Indian mores are remarkable and point to the many historical continuities in our lives.
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Few
would today recall the entrepreneurial ways of ancient Indians. To
take one example, we have the tale of the poor boy who found a dead
mouse. He uses it as seed capital. Trades the mouse for some gram and,
in turn, trades the gram for some wood. He keeps the cycle going. Buys
and sells. Becomes the owner of a considerable fortune. He ends up
getting the daughter of the city’s richest merchant as his wife. The
tale tells us that anyone with wits could make a fortune. Making a
fortune was socially a very desirable activity and could win a fair
bride. This interesting collection of stories drawn from a variety of
ancient Sanskrit texts shows us that the people of this country had a
very practical approach to money and to the business of getting and
spending, even thousands of years ago. No spiritual nonsense here.
Both dharma and artha are equally important for a good
life. Dharma, artha and kama all combined result
in moksha. The stories reflect this basic value of balance in
Indian society. Making money is important but making it the right way
is also important and spending it the right way and giving it to the
right people is just as important is what the stories say, when put
together. Poverty was not seen as a virtue by any means. The Christian
view that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, is hardly
reflected in these stories. Another story tells of a corpse which
knows that a man is better dead than poor. At another place the book
tells us to be wary of shysters and cheats for they were to be found
everywhere. Though some cheating is deemed good. In the Sanudasa
story, the king actually assists the merchant Mitravarma in carrying
out an elaborate subterfuge to teach Mitravarma’s son a lesson.