Verse 8.372

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

पुमांसं दाहयेत् पापं शयने तप्त आयसे ।
अभ्यादध्युश्च काष्ठानि तत्र दह्येत पापकृत् ॥ ३७२ ॥

pumāṃsaṃ dāhayet pāpaṃ śayane tapta āyase |
abhyādadhyuśca kāṣṭhāni tatra dahyeta pāpakṛt || 372 ||

The offending male he should make to lie down upon a redhot iron bed; they shall put wooden-logs over him, so that the sinner may be burnt.—(372)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The paramour of the woman spoken of in the preceding verse shall be burnt to death on an iron-bed made hot like fire.

Over him thus lying on the bed the executioners shall throw logs of wood, till he dies by the heat and by the strokes of the logs.—(372)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 857), which adds that this applies to men other than Brāhmaṇas;—in Vivādaratnākara (p. 39), which explains ‘abhyādadhyuḥ’ as ‘should scatter round him’—and adds that this is to be done by the executioners.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Mahābhārata (12.165.65).—(Same as Manu, but reading ‘unnayet’ for ‘dāhayet’)

Gautama (23.15).—‘If a man of inferior caste commits adultery with a woman of a superior caste, the King shall put him to death.’

Vaśiṣṭha (21.1-5).—‘If a Śūdra approaches a female of the Brāhmaṇa caste, the King shall cause him to be tied up in Vīraṇa grass and thrown into fire. Of the woman, he shall have the hair shaved and the body anointed with butter; then placing her naked on a donkey, he shall cause her to be conducted along the public road; it is declared that by this she becomes purified. If a Vaiśya approaches a female of the Brāhmaṇa caste, the King shall have him tied up in Lohita grass and thrown into fire;—[the woman is to be dealt with as above]. If a Kṣatriya approaches a female of the Brāhmaṇa caste, the King shall have him tied up in the leaves of Śara grass and thrown into fire; [the woman is to be dealt with as above], A Vaiśya offending with a Kṣatriya woman shall be dealt with in the same manner; so also a Śūdra offending with a Vaiśva or Ksatriya woman.’