Introduction

Alternative spellings of this word include Stey.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Steya (स्तेय).—Theft. In the law of chastisement of ancient Bhārata, appropriation of the property of others unjustly, was counted as theft (steya). The punishment awarded for theft in ancient Bhārata, is mentioned in Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 173, as follows. "All thefts are violation of justice. The thief of gold, will have to be beaten to death with a pestle. Then only his sin will be remitted. Or, he must live for twelve years, lying on the earth, wearing matted hair and eating only leaves, roots and fruits, once a day. The thief of pearl, coral, copper, silver, iron, bronze and stone, will have to eat millet rice (Kaṇānna) for twelve days. Those who steal food products, vehicle, bed, chair, flowers, fruits, roots etc. will be made to eat Pañcagavya (Milk, curd, butter, urine and dung of cow). He who steals grass, firewood, tree, dried rice, saccharum, cloth, hide, meat etc. will have to be made to fast for three days.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Steya (स्तेय).—Theft; one of the heinous sins;¹ story of a thief Vajra of Kāñcī is told.²

• 1) Vāyu-purāṇa 105. 13.
• 2) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 6. 37; 7. 4, 10.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Dharmashastra (religious law)

Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-śāstra

Steya (स्तेय) refers to “theft”, and is commonly classified as one of the eighteen vyavahārapada, or “law titles” in the ancient Dharmaśāstras. These vyavahārapadas are categories of ‘legal procedures’ and define a major type of crime for which a person may be tried. The term is derived from vyavahāra (“lawsuits” or “case”) which defines the case between the plaintiff and the defendant, which is often related to social and commercial transactions.

Steya is mentioned in the following sources as one of the eighteen vyavahārapadas: the Arthaśāstra (3.16.38) and the Manusmṛti (8.4-7).

Source: Google Books: Manusmṛti with the Manubhāṣya

Steya (स्तेय):—When a thing is taken away secretly, it is steya (‘theft’), as opposed to sāhasa (‘robbery’). (Also see the Manubhāṣya, verse 8.332)

context information

Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: archive.org: Vedic index of Names and Subjects

Steya (स्तेय) denotes ‘theft’ in the Atharvaveda and later. Cf. Dharma.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Steya (स्तेय, “theft”) according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XXII).—“Taking what is not given (adattādāna), knowing that an object belongs to another, forming the intention to steal it, taking the object and leaving the original place, saying: ‘This object belongs to me’: that is theft (steya). Not doing that is abstaining from theft. The rest, viz., stratagems (upāya), plots (nirūpaṇa), up to the fact of laying hands on some land that is not abandoned are auxiliary to theft (steyopakāra)”.

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: Encyclopedia of Jainism: Tattvartha Sutra 7: The Five Vows

Steya (स्तेय, “stealing”) or Corikā.—According to the 2nd-century Tattvārthasūtra 7.1, “desisting from injury (hiṃsā), falsehood (asatya), stealing (steya or corikā), un-chastity (abrahma) and attachment (parigraha) is the (fivefold) vow (vrata)”. What is meant by stealing (steya)? To take things which are not voluntarily given by others is stealing.

context information

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

stēya (स्तेय).—n S Thieving, theft, stealing.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

stēya (स्तेय).—n Theft, stealing. stēyī a That steals.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Steya (स्तेय).—[stenasya bhāvaḥ yat nalopaḥ]

1) Theft, robbery; व्यावृत्तगतिरुद्याने कुसुमस्तेयसाध्वसात् (vyāvṛttagatirudyāne kusumasteyasādhvasāt) Ku 2.35.

2) Anything stolen or liable to be stolen.

3) Anything private or secret.

Derivable forms: steyam (स्तेयम्).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Steya (स्तेय).—n.

(-yaṃ) 1. Theft, robbery. 2. Anything stolen or liable to be stolen. 3. Anything private. E. sten to steal, yat aff.; the final na rejected.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Steya (स्तेय).—perhaps anomal. stena + ya, n. Theft, robbery, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 2, 116; [Vikramorvaśī, (ed. Bollensen.)] [distich] 139.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Steya (स्तेय).—[neuter] theft, robbery.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Steya (स्तेय):—[from stai] n. theft, robbery, larceny, [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc.

2) [v.s. ...] anything stolen or liable to be stolen, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]

3) [v.s. ...] anything clandestine or private, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Steya (स्तेय):—(yaṃ) 1. n. Theft, robbery.

[Sanskrit to German] (Deutsch Wörterbuch)

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Böhtlingk and Roth Grosses Petersburger Wörterbuch

Steya (स्तेय):—(von stā) n. Diebstahl [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 5, 1, 125] (auf stena zurückgeführt). [Amarakoṣa 2, 10, 26.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 383.] [Halāyudha 2, 184.] [Atharvavedasaṃhitā 11, 8, 20. 14, 1, 57.] [Yāska’s Nirukta 6, 27.] [Kauṣītakyupaniṣad 3, 1.] [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 8, 6. 72. 213. 314. 332. 337. 9, 237. 11, 65. 102. 161. 169.] [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 3, 234.] [Spr. (II) 4492. 6442.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 15, 4.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 5, 26, 19.] prāyaścitta [PRĀYAŚCITTEND. 33,a,9.] [Oxforder Handschriften 87,b,22. fg.] rukma u.s.w. [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 11, 57. 66. 70. 98. 101.] [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 3, 230.] [Kumārasaṃbhava 2, 35.] [WEBER, Rāmatāpanīya Upaniṣad 355.] steyaṃ kar [Chāndogyopaniṣad 6, 16, 1.] dravyāṇāmalpasārāṇām [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 11, 164.] [Mahābhārata 12, 675.] [Vikramorvaśī 139.] a [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 6, 92. 8, 339. 10. 63.] [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 3, 66.] [Spr. (II) 7465.] [Vedānta lecture No. 128.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 81.] steyaṃ svādvatti so v. a. Gestohlenes [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 8, 29.] — Vgl. vrahma .

--- OR ---

Steya (स्तेय):—, a (weit gefasst) [Hemacandra] [Yogaśāstra 1, 19. 22. 28. 3, 91.]

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Steya (स्तेय) [Also spelled stey]:—(nm) theft.

context information

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