Sutra 18

Devanagari script

पितापुत्रयोर्दम्पत्योर्भ्रातृभगिन्योर्मातुलभगिनेययोः शिष्याचार्ययोर्वा परस्परमपतितं त्यजतः सार्थाभिप्रयातं ग्राममध्ये वा त्यजतः पूर्वः साहसदण्डः कान्तारे मध्यमः तन्निमित्तं भ्रेषयत उत्तमः सहप्रस्थायिष्वन्येष्वर्धदण्डाः ॥ कZ_०३.२०.१८ ॥

Transliteration

pitāputrayordampatyorbhrātṛbhaginyormātulabhagineyayoḥ śiṣyācāryayorvā parasparamapatitaṃ tyajataḥ sārthābhiprayātaṃ grāmamadhye vā tyajataḥ pūrvaḥ sāhasadaṇḍaḥ kāntāre madhyamaḥ tannimittaṃ bhreṣayata uttamaḥ sahaprasthāyiṣvanyeṣvardhadaṇḍāḥ

Translation

If a father and son, spouses, brother and sister, maternal uncle and sister’s son, or student and teacher abandon one another without justification; or if one abandons a member of a caravan or a person who has set out with the caravan, or abandons someone within a village—the lowest sāhasa fine applies; in wilderness/forest terrain, the middle grade applies; if the abandonment results in death, the highest grade applies. For other co-travellers, the penalty is half.

Word by Word

पिताfather

पुत्रयोःof father and son / between father and son (genitive dual)

दम्पत्योःof husband and wife / between spouses

भ्रातृbrother

भगिन्योःof brother and sister / between brother and sister

मातुलmaternal uncle

भगिनेययोःof maternal uncle and sister’s son / between maternal uncle and nephew

शिष्यstudent

आचार्ययोःof student and teacher / between student and teacher

वाor

परस्परम्mutually; each other

अपतितम्one who has not fallen (from duty/virtue); not degraded

त्यजतः(the two) abandon/leave

सार्थa caravan; travelling company

अभिप्रयातम्one who has set out; a departing traveller

ग्रामvillage

मध्येin the middle; within

वाor

त्यजतः(the two) abandon/leave

पूर्वःthe first (grade)

साहसviolence; forcible wrongdoing

दण्डःpenalty; fine

कान्तारेin a wilderness/forest (on a lonely route)

मध्यमःthe middle (grade)

तत्for that; on that account

निमित्तम्cause; reason

भ्रेषयतः(the two) cause harm/loss; ruin (someone)

उत्तमःthe highest (grade)

सहtogether with

प्रस्थायिषुamong co-travellers; in the case of fellow travellers

अन्येषुin other (cases/persons)

अर्धhalf

दण्डाःhalf-penalties; fines at half rate

Entities Mentioned

family members

teacher and student

caravan members

co-travellers

FAQs

Why does the penalty increase in wilderness (kāntāra)?

Because abandonment there predictably increases risk of harm; punishment is calibrated to environmental danger (risk-weighted deterrence).

What is the administrative purpose of listing specific relationships?

To codify heightened duty-of-care where dependency and trust are structurally expected (family, pedagogy, caravan travel).