Verse 9.235 [Mortal Sins]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

ब्रह्महा च सुरापश्च स्तेयी च गुरुतल्पगः ।
एते सर्वे पृथग् ज्ञेया महापातकिनो नराः ॥ २३५ ॥

brahmahā ca surāpaśca steyī ca gurutalpagaḥ |
ete sarve pṛthag jñeyā mahāpātakino narāḥ || 235 ||

The slayer of a Brāhmaṇa, the drinker of wine, the thief and the violator of the preceptor’s bed,—all these individually should be known as men who have committed heinous crimes.—(235)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Drinker of wine’—is a ‘heinous criminal’ only when he is a Brāhmaṇa.

‘Thief’—i.e., one who has stolen gold from a Brāhmaṇa.

This is a reiteration of what has been already said before, made with a view to what follows.—(235)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Surāpaḥ.’—Refers to the Brāhmaṇa only (Medhātithi), to the Kṣatriya and the Vaiśya also (Nārāyaṇa and Kullūka).

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 634), which adds the following notes:—The ‘taskara’ here stands for the stealer of gold;—‘pṛthak’, severally;—and in Vyavahāra-Bālambhaṭṭī (p. 116).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.235-242)

Baudhāyana (1.18.18).—‘In case a Brāhmaṇa has slain a Brāhmaṇa, has violated his guru’s bed, has stolen gold, or has drunk wine,—the King shall cause him to he branded with heated iron with the mark of a headless trunk, a female part, a jackal or the sign of the tavern on the forehead and banish him from his realm.’

Viṣṇu (5.1-8).—‘Great criminals should all he put to death;—in the case of a Brāhmaṇa, no corporal punishment should he inflicted.—A Brāhmaṇa should he banished from his own country, his body having been branded.—For murdering another Brāhmaṇa, let a headless corpse be impressed on his forehead;—for drinking wine, the flag of a liquor-seller;—for stealing gold, a dog’s foot;—for incest, the mark of the female part.—If he has committed any other heinous crime, he shall he banished unhurt, with all his property.’

Bṛhaspati (Vivādaratnākara, p. 634).—‘Even though he may have committed a heinous offence, the Brāhmaṇa should not he killed; he should he branded and banished with his head shaven.’

Yama (Do., 635).—‘In the case of the Brāhmaṇa committing any of the four capital offences, his head shall be shaved and he shall he banished; and with a view to proclaiming his crime, he shall be paraded riding on a donkey; or he may be branded on the forehead.’

Nārada (Do.).—‘In the case of the Brāhmaṇa committing any of the four capital offences,—violating the Guru’s bed, drinking wine, stealing gold, and killing a Brāhmaṇa,—for violating the Guru’s bed, he should he branded with the mark of the female part,—for drinking wine, with the flag of the wine-seller,—for stealing gold, with the mark of the dog’s foot,—for killing a Brāhmaṇa, the mark of a headless trunk shall be branded on his forehead; and no one should hold any converse with him;—such is the teaching of Manu.’