Appendix to Accou7it of Hindu Courts of Justice. 195 



" An apartment for the assembly or court of justice should be allotted on the eastern 

 side of the royal palace. It could be designed according to the dimensions taught by 

 the rules of architecture. The place of assembly is termed a court of justice.* 



" The place where a thorough investigation, or complete ascertainment of the 

 original matter set forth, is competently instituted and conducted by means of a legal 

 inquiry, and by persons qualified to decide, is called a court of justice (dharmudhka- 

 ran'a) : a term signifying, agreeably to its et3mologj', a place where the original matter 

 is thoroughlj' investigated according to rules of law."f 



§ 14. Time and mode of Sitting. 



" Having risen in the last watcli of the night, iiis body being pure and his mind 

 attentive, having made oblations to fire, and sliown due respect to the priests, let him 

 [the kingi] enter his hall decently splendid. § 



" The king, having made oblations early in the morning and performed ablutions, 

 and being composed and collected, and having shown due honour to his spiritual 

 parents, to learned astronomers and phj'sicians, to the deities and to brahmanas, 

 and to domestic priests, with flowers, ornaments and vesture, and having saluted his 

 spiritual parents and the rest, should enter the court-room with a cheerful aspect. || 



" Let the king, uninfluenced by partialit}-, decide causes in the mode prescribed by 

 law, during the forenoon, in his courts of justice ; omitting the (first] eighth part of a 

 day, but during [the next] three: such is the best time for the trial of causes, as 

 ordained by the sacred code. If 



" After the first four hours (ghaft'icd), for that time is allotted to the business of 

 the perpetual fire, and other religious affairs. In this space of three [eighth] parts of 

 a day, the king should constantly inspect law-suits.** 



" ' The eighth part,' from the first half watch (prahara) to the second (praharaJ.-W 



" The trial of causes, during the forenoon only, is here ordained. That again is 

 intended for temporal purposes, because the understanding is then clear, and the king 

 is yet disengaged from other business. A restriction is subjoined. The eighth part is 

 half the first prahara : three parts subsequent thereto, but preceding the turn of noon; 

 for else it would contradict the injunction for hearing causes in the forenoon. The 

 omission of half the first prahara, too, is intended for a sensible purpose; as it serves to 

 obviate any obstruction to the performance of daily sacrifices and the like.Jt 



" A wise man should not inspect judicial proceedings on these lunar days; namely, 

 the fourteenth of each half of the month ; the day of conjunction (new moon) ; that of 

 opposition (full moon); and tlie eighth day of every semilunation.JJ 



" This prohibition is intended for spiritual ends, since it can have no temporal use : 

 just like the prohibition of sitting towards a certain quarter [the south] during meals. |||| 



• Midhava. f Div. Bh. % Sm. Chand. $ Menu, 7. 145. 



II VrHiaspati, cited in Sm. Chand. and Madh. t Cityayana, cited in Sm. Chand, &c. 



•• Dee. Bh. in Sm. Ch. ff Ragh. in Vyav. tntwa. JJ Mitr. mis'r. in Viramilr. 



$5 Samvarla, cited in Sm. Chand. \\ \\ Mitr. mis'r. in Viramilr. 



2 C 2 



