Verse 8.283

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

केशेषु गृह्णतो हस्तौ छेदयेदविचारयन् ।
पादयोर्दाढिकायां च ग्रीवायां वृषणेषु च ॥ २८३ ॥

keśeṣu gṛhṇato hastau chedayedavicārayan |
pādayordāḍhikāyāṃ ca grīvāyāṃ vṛṣaṇeṣu ca || 283 ||

If he catches hold of the hair, the king shall unhesitatingly have his hands out off; also if he lays hold of the feet, the beard, the neck, or the scrotum.—(283)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The phrase ‘out of arrogance’ of the preceding verse has to be construed with this verse also.

If the Śūdra lays hold of the Brāhmaṇa’s hair, with a view to insult him, his hands should be cut off. The dual number has been used for the purpose of indicating that even when the catching is done with a single hand, since the pain caused is the same as that in the case of catching with both hands, it is both the hands that shall be cut off, and not one only.

‘Dāḍhikā’ is beard.

In the case of other parts of the body also, the catching of which causes the same pain as the catching of the neck and other limbs mentioned, the punishment shall be the same as the one here laid down.

‘Unhesitatingly’;—this forbids any consideration regarding the exact amount of pain caused by the catching,—whether it has been much or otherwise. The sense is that the punishment is to be inflicted for the mere catching.—(288)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

It is difficult to see why Hopkins calls the reading ‘dāḍhikāyām,’ ‘obscure.’

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 814), which adds the following notes:—‘Dāḍhikāyām’—on the beard,—‘Vṛsaṇeṣu scrotum and the rest; if the scrotum alone were meant, then the plural ending could not be justified;—in Vivādaratnākara (p. 268), which remarks that the dual ending has been used in ‘hastau’ with a view to indicate that both hands are to be cut off even though the beard be held by one only; and it explains ‘dāḍhikā,’ as ‘beard’—and in Vivādachintāmaṇi (Calcutta, p, 76), which explains these two verses to mean that ‘if a Śūdra insults a man of any of the higher castes by spitting at him, his lips should be cut off—if by urinating on his body, his urinary organ should be cut off,—if by passing wind over him, the anus should be cut off,—and if by catching hold of his hair, then his hands should be cut off.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (5.65).—‘If he seizes him by his feet, by his hair, by his garment, or by his hand, he shall pay ten Paṇas.’

Arthaśāstra (p. 106).—‘On touching his feet, garment, hands or hair, the fine shall be multiples of six respectively.’

Nārada (15-16.28).—‘If he pulls a superior by the hair, the King shall unhesitatingly cause his hands to be out off; likewise if he seizes him by the feet, beard, neck or scrotum.’

Yājñavalkya (2.217).—‘For pulling a person by the feet, hair, garment or hands,—there shall be a fine of 10 Paṇas; for causing pain, dragging, binding with cloth and striking with the feet, the fine shall be a hundred.’