१४ ब्राह्मणहिंसा

The twice-born person who threatens a Brāhmaṇa, with the intention of striking him, wanders about in the tāmisra hell for a hundred years.—(165)

अविशेषेण सर्वविषये ताडने निषिद्धे ब्राह्मणे तत्क्रियाया दोषातिशयदर्शनार्थं पञ्चश्लोकी ।

अवगूर्य** उद्यम्यैव दण्डादि वधकाम्यया ताडनेच्छया, विनैव निपातेन, शतं वर्षाणि नरके पच्यते परिवर्तते तत्फलम् उपभुङ्क्ते ॥ ४.१६५ ॥

The striking of all persons having been equally forbidden, the next five verses are meant to show the greater heinousness of striking the Brāhmaṇa.

‘Threatens’—by raising the stick—‘with the intention of striking’—i.e., beating,—even actually letting the stick fall.

‘For a hundred years he wanders about in hell,’ i.e., continues to suiter the evil effects of that act.—(165).

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 223.)

Gautama (21.20).—‘By angrily threatening the Brāhmaṇa, one becomes unfit for heaven for a hundred years.’

165 A twice-born man who has merely threatened a Brahmana with the intention of (doing him) a corporal injury, will wander about for a hundred years in the Tamisra hell.

Having, in anger, struck him intentionally, even with a straw, he is born, during twenty-one births, in sinful wombs.—(166)

संरम्भः क्रोधावेशः, न तु नर्मणा । बुद्धिपूर्वम् । एकविंशतिम् आजातीः । जातिर् जन्म । आकारो ऽनर्थकः, प्रलम्बत इतिवत् । पापानां योनय इति तिर्यग्जन्तवो दुःखबहुलाः । तिष्ठतु तावद् दण्डादिः पीडाकरः पदार्थः¹ । तृणेनापि ताडने दीर्घकालो नरकानुभवः ॥ ४.१६६ ॥

‘In anger’—i.e., in a fit of wrath; not in joke; and ‘intentionally.’

‘Ājāti’ is janma, birth; the initial ‘ā’ being meaningless; just as in the term, ‘pralambate, the initial ‘pra’ is meaningless.

‘Sinful wombs’—the wombs of sinful beings, i.e., the lower animals, whose life is full of suffering.

To say nothing of more painful objects, by striking even by a straw, the man suffers the pangs of hell for a long time.—(166).

Cf. 11. 206-207.

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 223).

Gautama (21.21).—‘By striking (the Brāhmaṇa, he becomes unfit for heaven), for a thousand years.’

166 Having intentionally struck him in anger, even with a blade of grass, he will be born during twenty-one existences in the wombs (of such beings where men are born in punishment of their) sins.

The man, who, through folly, causes blood to flow from the body or a Brāhmaṇa who is not fighting, undergoes, after death, very great suffrring.—(167)

असृग् लोहितम् । तद् अङ्गतः अङ्गाद् यत्रोत्पादयति ब्राह्मणस्य खड्गप्रहारादिना । अयुध्यमानस्य, न तु द्रोणाचार्यवत् क्षात्रेण धर्मेण युयुत्सोः । सुमहद् दुःखं नरकादि प्रेत्य मृतो जन्मान्तरे । अप्राज्ञतयेत्य् अनुवादः । प्राज्ञो हि शास्त्रार्थज्ञानान् न कथम् अप्य्² एवं कुर्यात् ॥ ४.१६७ ॥

‘Asṛk’ is blood;—he who causes this to How from the body of the Brāhmaṇa, by the stroke of the sword or such other weapons,—‘even the Brāhmaṇa is not fighting—and not when he is actually taking part in lawful battle, like Droṇācārya.

‘Very great, suffering’—in the form of hell.

‘After death,’—i.e., in another birth.

‘Through folly,’—This is a needless reiteration; the wise man, knowing the scriptures, can never do such a thing.—(167).

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 223);—and in Mitākṣarā (on 1.155), to the effect that no one should be struck who has given no cause of offence.

**(verses 4.167-168)
**

Gautama (21.22).—‘On fetching blood, for as many years as there may be dust-particles wetted with the blood (he shall be unfit for heaven).’

Baudhāyana (1.1.6.8).—‘Having struck the Brāhmaṇa unintentionally, one becomes defiled under the law; for this unintentional striking, the sages have prescribed expiations; there is no expiation for intentional striking. On threatening the Brāhmaṇa, one should perform the Kṛcchra; on striking him, the A tikṛcchra; on spilling his blood, the Kṛccra as well as the Cāndrāyaṇa.’

167 A man who in his folly caused blood to flow from the body of a Brahmana who does not attack him, will suffer after death exceedingly great pain.

As many particles of dust the blood takes up from the ground, during so many years is the blood-spiller devoured by others in the other world.—(168)

ईषत्प्रहारे पूर्वफलम् । अधिके तु पांसवो रजांसि धूल्यवयवास् तान् यावन्तो यत्परिमाणान् गृह्णाति संहन्ति ब्राह्मणाङ्गच्युतं भूमिपतितं लोहितम्, तावतो ऽब्दांस् तावन्ति वर्षाण्य् अमुत्र परलोके ऽद्यते श्वशृगालैर् यः शोषितस्योत्पादकः प्रहर्ता ॥ ४.१६८ ॥

The result mentioned in the preceding verse accrues in the case of light hurt; when, however, the hurt is serious,—‘as many particles of dust are taken up’—coagulated—by the blood falling from the Brāhmaṇa’s body, on the ground;—‘during so many years’—‘in the other world’—The ‘blood-spiller’—the man who struck—‘is devoured’ by dogs and jackals.—(168).

Cf. 11.208.

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 223).

**(verses 4.167-168)
**

See Comparative notes for [Verse 4.167].

168 As many particles of dust as the blood takes up from the ground, during so many years the spiller of the blood will be devoured by other (animals) in the next world.

For these reasons, the learned man shall never even threaten a twice-born person; he shall not strike him even with a straw; and he shall not spill blood from his body.—(169).

पूर्वस्य क्रियात्रयप्रतिषेधविधेर् उद्यमननिपातनविषयस्योपसंहारः । न कदाचिद् आपद्य् अपीत्य् अर्थः³ ॥ ४.१६९ ॥

This sums up the prohibition of the aforesaid three acts of raising the stick and letting it fall (and making blood flow).

‘Never ’—i.e., not even in abnormal times.—(169).

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 223).

Baudhāyana (1.3.8).—‘Therefore one shall not threaten the Brāhmaṇa, nor spill his blood.’

169 A wise man should therefore never threaten a Brahmana, nor strike him even with a blade of grass, nor cause his blood to flow.