Sutra 2

Devanagari script

ऊर्णावल्ककार्पासतूलशणक्षौमाणि च विधवान्यङ्गाकन्याप्रव्रजितादण्डप्रतिकारिणीभी रूपाजीवामातृकाभिर्वृद्धराजदासीभिर्व्युपरतोपस्थानदेवदासीभिश्च कर्तयेत् ॥ कZ_०२.२३.०२ ॥

Transliteration

ūrṇāvalkakārpāsatūlaśaṇakṣaumāṇi ca vidhavānyaṅgākanyāpravrajitādaṇḍapratikāriṇībhī rūpājīvāmātṛkābhir vṛddharājadāsībhir vyuparatopasthānadevadāsībhiś ca kartayet

Translation

He shall have wool, bark-fibre, cotton, cotton-fluff, hemp, and linen worked by widows, unmarried women, female renunciants, women working off a penalty, women living by their beauty (courtesans), mothers (female dependents), aged royal maidservants, and temple women who have ceased active service.

Word by Word

ऊर्णाwool

वल्कbark-fibre (cloth made of bark)

कार्पासcotton

तूलcotton-fluff / lint

शणhemp / flax (fibres)

क्षौमाणिlinen cloth (made of flax)

चand

विधवानिwidows

अङ्गाकन्याaṅgā-kanyā women (a designated class of women)

प्रव्रजिताfemale renunciants / nuns

अदण्डप्रतिकारिणीभिःby women who are ‘not subject to punishment’ / who do not incur corporal punishment

रूपाजीवाwomen who live by (selling) beauty; prostitutes/courtesans

मातृकाभिःby matrons / motherly attendants

वृद्धराजदासीभिःby aged royal maidservants/slaves

व्युपरतोपस्थानदेवदासीभिःby devadāsīs who have ceased (regular) attendance/service

चand

कर्तयेत्he should have (them) prepared/processed; should cause (it) to be made

Entities Mentioned

Superintendent of Threads

widows

unmarried women

female renunciants

penal laborers

courtesans

mothers/dependents

aged royal servants

retired temple women

FAQs

What political-administrative objective is served by assigning textile work to socially vulnerable groups?

It simultaneously supplies strategic goods (textiles/cordage), reduces vagrancy and dependence, and converts welfare/penal obligations into supervised, productive labor.