by Police - Bureau of Police Research and Development

The Indian Police JournalKsemendra says that wicked mothers gave their daughters, enjoyedand abandoned by men, to others. 85 Methods of seducing cleverly achaste girl till she yields to a man’s lust is described in Vatsyayan’sKamasutra. 86 It was natural that if a man abandons such girl, she wasbound to adopt prostitution as a profession. 87'jayopajivins' or jayajivins (husbandswho lived on the wife’s income which she earned by selling her body).It was considered a minor sin on the husband’s part an upapataka forwhich an expiation of mild type candrayana vow (yagya) was to beperformed. 88 Krishna is sent by the Pandavas to the Kauravason a peace settlements, vast arrangements for his comforts are madein the city. Dhritarastra orders his people to send fair harlots, comelydeckedto move on foot to meet the most highly Kesava 89 , Krishna onpeace mission. It was narrated in verse also.From such instances, it can be seen that during the epic period,harlots constituted an inseparable ornamental part of the old cities,royal houses and memorial houses. During those days also, they werehaving the worst sexually-exploited lot of the society to be enjoyed bythe luxuriously-privileged few males.Donation of Girls to Brahmanas in Dakshinain ancient India as pretty and young women in large numbers weregiven in gifts in return to a favour or as a mark of respect and werethought a part of daksina Yudhisthir’sup necessary part of the entertainment. 90Yudhisthira himself had given away pretty maids to the guest Kings. 91He is said to have given away hundreds of thousands of pretty girls 92 Pretty maidsas part of daksina are also mentioned, when the King Bhagirathagave hundreds of thousands of lovely maids, well-decked out withgold ornaments. 93 Even at a Sradha ceremony, Brahmanas receivedthousands of pretty maidens as gifts. 94 husbands, but presumably, most of them were forced to becomeprostitutes, because according to ancient Smriti texts, maidenhoodwas an essential prerequisite for marriage in those days, which wasnot possible for such girls to maintain. 95January - March, 2013193