Sutra 14

Devanagari script

पण्याधिष्ठातारः पण्यमूल्यमेकमुखं काष्ठद्रोण्यामेकच्छिद्रापिधानायां निदध्युः ॥ कZ_०२.१६.१४ ॥

Transliteration

paṇyādhiṣṭhātāraḥ paṇyamūlyam ekamukhaṃ kāṣṭhadroṇyām ekacchidrāpidhānāyāṃ nidadhyuḥ

Translation

Market officers should deposit the price-money of goods into a wooden receptacle with a single opening, secured by a cover with a single hole (a controlled-deposit box).

Word by Word

• पण्याधिष्ठातारः: the superintendents/inspectors of merchandise
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधि-स्था (√स्था)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-बहुवचन; ‘अधिष्ठातृ’ (कर्तृवाचक) शब्दः; पण्यस्य अधिष्ठातारः = पण्याधिष्ठातारः

• पण्यमूल्यम्: the price/value of the merchandise
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल्य
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; पण्यस्य मूल्यं = पण्यमूल्यम्

• एकमुखम्: having a single opening/mouth
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + मुख
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-एकवचन; ‘एकमुख’ = एकं मुखं यस्य (one-mouthed)

• काष्ठद्रोण्याम्: in a wooden trough
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोणी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचन; काष्ठस्य द्रोणी = काष्ठद्रोणी (wooden trough)

• एकच्छिद्रापिधानायाम्: (in a trough) with a cover having a single hole/opening
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपि-धा (√धा) → अपिधान
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-एकवचन; ‘अपिधान’ = आवरण/ढक्कन; ‘एकच्छिद्र’ = एकं छिद्रं यस्य; एकच्छिद्रं अपिधानं यस्यां (द्रोण्याम्) सा

• निदध्युः: should deposit/place (it)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-धा (√धा)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थे) परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन; ‘नि + धा’ = निक्षिपेयुः/स्थापयेयुः

Entities Mentioned

• paṇyādhiṣṭhātṛ (market officer)
• paṇyādhyakṣa (implied supervising authority)

More Details

FAQs

What modern control does this resemble?

A sealed cashbox/drop-safe system that limits access and creates accountability for receipts.

Why specify ‘single opening’ and ‘single-hole lid’?

To prevent clandestine removal or manipulation of receipts and to standardize the deposit procedure for later verification.