Arthashastra 3.19.4: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 19, Sutra 4
विशिष्टेषु द्विगुणाः हीनेष्वर्धदण्डाः परस्त्रीषु द्विगुणाः प्रमादमदमोहादिभिरर्धदण्डाः ॥
viśiṣṭeṣu dviguṇāḥ hīneṣv ardha-daṇḍāḥ parastrīṣu dviguṇāḥ pramāda-mada-mohādibhir ardha-daṇḍāḥ
जिसका काम बड़ा हो, उसके साथ गलती हुई तो जुर्माना डबल। जिसका काम छोटा हो, उसके साथ हुई तो आधा। दूसरे आदमी की बीवी के साथ गलती हुई तो भी डबल जुर्माना। अगर नशा में हो, या गलती से हो, या समझ नहीं आया, तो जुर्माना आधा लगेगा।
Word by Word
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: विशिष्टेषु | द्विगुणाः | हीनेषु | अर्धदण्डाः | परस्त्रीषु | द्विगुणाः | प्रमाद-मद-मोह-आदिभिः | अर्धदण्डाः
- केवलं समास-विग्रहः: अर्धदण्डाः = अर्धः दण्डः
- परस्त्रीषु = परा स्त्री (परकीय-स्त्री)
- प्रमादमदमोहादिभिः = प्रमाद + मद + मोह + आदिभिः (द्वन्द्व-समासः, ‘आदि’ सूचकः)
Assault, insult, and graded punishments (sāhasa/daṇḍa) with status- and circumstance-based multipliers
Criminal justice and sentencing policy
- viśiṣṭeṣu
- toward distinguished/superior persons
- dviguṇāḥ
- double
- hīneṣu
- toward inferior persons
- ardha-daṇḍāḥ
- half-penalty
- parastrīṣu
- regarding another’s wife
- pramāda
- negligence
- mada
- intoxication/arrogant drunkenness
- moha
- delusion
- -ādibhiḥ
- etc./similar causes
FAQs
Punishment is scaled by (a) relative social standing of victim, (b) protected categories (another’s wife), and (c) mitigating mental states like negligence or intoxication.
To standardize judicial discretion through explicit multipliers, improving predictability and deterrence while still allowing mitigation.
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