Question 29 from UPSC CSE 2022 - Ancient History

Question

According to Kautilya's Arthashastra, which of the following are correct?
1. A person could be a slave as a result of a judicial punishment.
2. If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally free.
3. If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. 1, 2, and 3

Strategy: Determine if each statement is explicitly supported by Kautilya's Arthashastra regarding slavery. Verify provisions for judicial punishment as a source of enslavement. Confirm the emancipation of female slaves who bear a son for their master. Affirm the legal status of children born to female slaves and their masters. Select all statements as correct if they align with the text's original prescriptions.

Key Info: Kautilya's Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on polity, economics, and social regulations (circa 3rd century BCE), provides detailed laws regarding slavery (dasatva):

*   Under Arthashastra, slavery could arise from circumstances such as birth to slave parents, voluntary self-sale, capture in war, or as a judicial punishment for severe offenses. This institutionalized system defined the privileges and restrictions for slaves and owners.
*   The text explicitly states that if a female slave gave birth to her master's son, she was legally emancipated (set free), ending her slave status upon proof of maternity and paternity.
*   Furthermore, a son born to a female slave from her master was granted the same legal status as a legitimate son, receiving rights as an heir and not solely regarded as a slave's offspring. This element highlights nuances in Vedic and post-Vedic social laws.
*   Arthashastra's principles on slavery were progressive relative to some contemporary systems: slaves could own property, marry (with permission), and in certain cases, earn freedom through merit or specific circumstances.
*   Slavery was regulated to prevent arbitrary abuse, with explicit conditions for winning or losing freedom and prescribed penalties for master maltreatment.
*   The Arthashastra's legal recognition and stratification of slavery contrast with other ancient law-givers like Manu, presenting a utilitarian rather than strictly hierarchical approach.
*   The institution of slavery in the Arthashastra must be contextualized within ancient Indian socio-economic structures, differing notably from later medieval or colonial forms.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 and 2 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: 1 and 3 only