Q. With respect to the Vedic Civilization, consider the following statements:
Nishkas, hiranyapindas, manas etc were the units of value.
The Panis were the traders responsible for inland and foreign trade.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Answer:
Both 1 & 2
Notes:
Nishkas, hiranyapindas and manas were well-known pieces of recognized weight and value, they cannot be called gold coins.
The Panis formed the great trading class both for inland and foreign trade.
In the later Vedic period, trade increased to an extent necessitating organisation. Merchants organised themselves into guilds, known as ganas (called srenis in the post-Vedic period). Vaishyas (sreshtins) carried on trade and commerce.
Kusidin was a designation of the usurer in the Satapatha Brahmana.
Satamana and krishnala, beside nishka, came to be used as units of value.
In the Satapatha Brahmana, the gold piece, named satamana, is frequently mentioned in connection with the honorarium to be paid to the priests. Another type of gold piece, named suvarna has also been mentioned in it. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mentions pada. But all these were gold ornaments or pieces and did not represent coins.