Story of Daṇḍanīti

(The laws of chastisement). Daṇḍanīti is the law of punishment given to the subjects by Kings of ancient India. According to the criminal laws of ancient India, fining a man upto two hundred and fifty paṇas (a coin) was called Prathama Śāhasa daṇḍa (first degree of punishment) and fining up to five hundred paṇas was called Madhyama Sāhasa daṇḍa (medium punishment) and fining upto thousand paṇas was called Uttama Sāhasa daṇḍa (highest degree of punishment). If a man complains to the King that his property is stolen, when actually it is not stolen, the man will be fined the amount that is said to have been stolen. There was another law, that the owner of the stolen property and the thief would have to pay double the amount they admit, if the amount shown in the complaint differed from the actual amount stolen. For appearing as false witness, the three classes of non-Brahmins were punished with fine and if he was a Brahmin he would have to be cast out of the society. The King ordered that if one spent the property entrusted with him for keeping, the owner of the property would have to be paid double the amount. If one says that he has given the property for keeping when actually it is not, the person will have to be punished as if he were a thief. If a man spends an amount without knowing that it was the property of others, the man will have to be acquitted of the charge.

If an artisan has received money in advance for a particular product and fails to give the thing at the stipulated time the King will fine the artisan one svarṇa. If a man received money in advance on a promise to do a particular work and if he fails to do the work he will be fined one Kṛṣṇala of gold. (One Kṛṣṇala weighs three yavagrains). If a man conceals his diseases and marries a damsel, she will be considered as a spinster and the man will be fined two hundred paṇas. If a cowherd agrees to look after the cows of another receiving pay and food and refuses to return the cow to the owner the King will fine him hundred paṇas. If a Kṣatriya scoffed a Brāhmaṇa the fine imposed would be hundred paṇas. If it is a Vaiśya the fine will be two hundred paṇas. If it is a Śūdra he will be put to death. If a Brahmin scoffs a Kṣatriya the fine is fifty paṇas. If a Śūdra scoffs a Vaiśya the fine is twentyfive paṇas. If a Brahmin scoffs a Śūdra the fine is only twelve paṇas. If a Śūdra scoffs a Kṣatriya his tongue should be cut off. If a Śūdra advises a Brahmin, he may inflict any punishment on the Śūdra.

If a Śūdra wronged a Brahmin, the Śūdra might be punished by cutting off the organ which was employed in the crime. If one spat at a Brahmin, the two lips of the culprit might be cut off. If a man passed urine on a Brahmin the culprit would have his penis cut off. If a Śūdra sits on the seats of the upper classes his buttock will have to be cut off. If one slays cow, elephant, camel or horse half of his limbs will have to be cut off. Cutting across a road, changing of boundaries, making the water of pools and ponds impure etc. will have to be punished with a fine of two suvarṇas. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 227).