THE STUDY OF the Saartha system also demonstrates another fundamental truth: that for a pan-Indian mobile organization of commerce like Saartha, two elements were mandatory: political stability which guarantees protection and safety.
We can make just a passing observation in this regard: although different kings were ruling different regions of Bharatavarsha, none of them intruded into or harassed any Saartha. Quite the contrary. The border office or check post of every kingdom as well as the central treasury maintained detailed registers of the different Saarthas known to them either directly or indirectly.
Just as how guild chiefs or chiefs of corporations played an important role in the administration of a kingdom or provinciality, Saartha chiefs had access to important town and city officials. This was a relationship based on mutual trust, respect, harmony, shared values and piety. All these were characterized by refined behavior and conduct that is hard to describe in mere language.
In closing, it is worth mentioning that even today we have some remnants that show the unbroken continuity of the Saartha organization, although its original form has disappeared forever. For example, it is routine to witness various exhibitions and fairs that are regularly held in different cities and towns across India even today. In Bangalore, we have frequent exhibitions on the lines of say, Jaipur Craft Exhibition and various handloom and toy fairs. All of these stock a huge collection of say, spices, handicrafts, specialized clothing, etc. The sellers are drawn from multiple states across India, and when you talk to them, you are astonished at the raw and sweeping, generational knowledge base they have on the tip of their tongue. They explain with great passion the quality and history of their respective products and items. They stay in the city for say a month, pack up and then head off to say Hyderabad or Vijayawada or Chennai.
This is Saartha in action in our own day.
Finally, in creative works of historical fiction written in contemporary India, Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s acclaimed TV series, Chanakya gives us a fleeting but highly accurate picture of Saarthas during the Mauryan period. Then we have the acclaimed Telugu novelist (the late) Nori Narasimha Sastri’s Narayana Bhattu, which has rich and vivid descriptions of a real Saartha. We also see some glimpses of Saarthas in the legendary Acharya Chatursen Sastri’s acclaimed classic Vaishali ki Nagarvadhu. Finally, Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa has written a modern classic dedicated to the subject. It is unambiguously titled Saartha in which the protagonist of the novel is the system of Saartha itself.
Just as how the microcosm contains the macrocosm in its tiny womb, so too does the Saartha contain the story of Indian history, society and culture.
We conclude this series with some invaluable guidance offered by Acharya Sri Vasudeva Sharan Agarwal:
“[A study of Saartha is a] foundation stone of the all-comprehensive history of Indian culture… one gains the sight of the relations of India with the countries and islands lying across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean… In the Gupta period Indian fleets were capable of defending the sea-girt coastal regions of the country and increase trade with other countries…
“The caravan leaders and Indian travellers by land and sea routes, were also the carriers of Indian story literature. Seamen often related miraculous stories of Yakshas, Nagas, demons and spirits and aquatic animals connected with the seas. These stories diverted the people during their travels; such stories were adopted by literature as motifs as well…
“The high mountain of the north and the wide coastline of the seas of the south offered no impediments but served as bridges for adventurous travellers. They contributed largely in bringing Central Asia and Indonesia within the fold of Indian culture. The avad'anas of the sea-merchants Purna, Suparaga and Kotikarna serve as beacon light in the Indian nautical science. The lists of twenty-four guilds, twenty-two heads of guilds and thirty professions preserved in the Mahavastu represent a flourishing world of trade providing the true index of the production of the goods…
“It is difficult to understand the story of Indian history without understanding the great achievements of Indian sailors and sea captains and their close cooperation with caravan leaders.”
Series Concluded
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