Sutra 1

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणमपेयमभक्ष्यं वा ग्रासयत उत्तमो दण्डः क्षत्रियं मध्यमः वैश्यं पूर्वः साहसदण्डः शूद्रं चतुष्पञ्चाशत्पणो दण्डः ॥ कZ_०४.१३.०१ ॥

Transliteration

brāhmaṇam apeyam abhakṣyaṃ vā grāsayata uttamo daṇḍaḥ kṣatriyaṃ madhyamaḥ vaiśyaṃ pūrvaḥ sāhasadaṇḍaḥ śūdraṃ catuṣpañcāśatpaṇo daṇḍaḥ

Translation

Wer einen Brāhmaṇa dazu zwingt, Verbotenes zu trinken oder zu essen, unterliegt der höchsten Geldstrafe; bei einem Kṣatriya gilt die mittlere; bei einem Vaiśya die erste (niedrigste) sāhasa-Strafe; und bei einem Śūdra eine Strafe von vierundfünfzig paṇas.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणम्: a Brahmin
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया

• अपेयम्: (something) not to be drunk / undrinkable (prohibited to drink)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + पेय (पेय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया; नञ्-प्रत्यय (निषेध)

• अभक्ष्यम्: (something) not to be eaten / inedible (prohibited to eat)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + भक्ष्य (भक्ष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया; नञ्-प्रत्यय (निषेध)

• वा: or
• Type: Particle
• Root: वा
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय

• ग्रासयतः: (one) who makes (someone) eat / who forces to eat
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रासय (√ग्रस्, causative)
• Form: लट्; प्रथमा; एकवचन; परस्मैपद; वर्तमानकाल; कर्तरि (causative sense: ‘causes to eat/feed’)

• उत्तमः: the highest
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; विशेषण (दण्डस्य)

• दण्डः: punishment / fine
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा

• क्षत्रियम्: a Kshatriya
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रिय
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया

• मध्यमः: the middle (grade)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; विशेषण (दण्डस्य)

• वैश्यम्: a Vaishya
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्य
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया

• पूर्वः: the first / lower (grade)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; विशेषण (दण्डस्य)

• साहसदण्डः: the fine prescribed for sāhasa (violent/forcible offence)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साहस + दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; समास: ‘साहसस्य दण्डः’

• शूद्रम्: a Shudra
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; द्वितीया

• चतुष्पञ्चाशत्पणः: amounting to forty-five paṇas
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुः + पञ्चाशत् + पण
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा; विशेषण (दण्डस्य); अर्थ: ‘चतुःपञ्चाशत्-पण-परिमाणः’

• दण्डः: (is) the fine/punishment
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; एकवचन; प्रथमा

Entities Mentioned

• Brāhmaṇa
• Kṣatriya
• Vaiśya
• Śūdra
• offender

More Details

FAQs

What act is being punished in this sutra?

Coercing someone to consume prohibited/defiling food or drink—treated as a violent/assaultive wrong (sāhasa) with graded fines.

What is the administrative rationale for graded fines here?

It encodes differential social/religious injury as understood by the text’s order, enabling standardized sentencing tiers for officials.