KARSHAPANA
82 .or
money which
coined
copper and
is
fcarekika,
is i.e.,
tamrika,
made
i.e.,
of
one Karsha in weight.
Thus according to Manu, Karshapana is a copper and the question arises whether there are any Sanskrit works where Karshapana is coin only,
being also of gold and silver Surely because Manu has said that
mentioned metals.
as
Karshapana was copper money, it follow that this must have been so at
and
does
not
times
all
the Narada, quoted Vachaspatyo under karsha regards A'arshapco/a apparently as synonymous with Pana and reat
all
marks that
in
places.
in
south
the
Karshapana was a
The same Vachaspatya, again, coin. the word under Karshapana, gives three quotations, one from Gautama, one from Katyayana silver
and one from a work called Shat-trwisat, and conclusively shows that Karshapana is a synonym of Purana which is known to be a silver Take also the Amarakosha which coin only. distinguishes between Karshapana and Pana. Both,
we
are told, are karshika,
i.e.,
one Karsha
1
weight, but Amarasirhha speaks of Pana alone as tamrika, i.e., made of copper, from which
in
his
commentators Kshlrasvamin and Ramasrami
infer that
Karshapana was a
silver coin.
If we,
however, consider the statement of Amarasimha All critically, a wider inference is permissible. that
this
lexicographer implies 1
II.
9 88. r
is
that Karsha-