Correct Option
Statements 2 and 3 are correct according to Kautilya's Arthashastra.
- If a female slave bore her master a son, she was legally freed. This provision allowed for the emancipation of female slaves under these specific circumstances.
- If a son born to a female slave was fathered by her master, the son was entitled to the legal status of the master's son. This ensured the child's rights and legitimacy, irrespective of the mother's servile status.
Incorrect Options
Statement 1 is incorrect.
- Kautilya's Arthashastra does not mention judicial punishment as a means by which a free-born person could become a slave. Slavery typically arose from war captivity, debt, or voluntary self-enslavement during times of distress.