Patita

(“fallen one”) In the dharma literature,
the term for someone who had committed one of the Four Great Crimes; murdering a brahmin (brahmahatya),
stealing a brahmin’s gold (steya), drinking liquor (surapana), and adultery
with one’s guru’s wife (gurutalpaga).
These crimes were considered so
heinous that the performer became an
outcast from society. Another indication
of the gravity of these acts was that their
expiations (prayashchitta) were so
severe they normally ended in death,
and in some cases this outcome was
specifically prescribed. Aside from prescribing such punishments for the actual
offenders, the dharma literature also
prescribed similar outcast status for
anyone who knowingly associated with
such people for more than one year.