Sutra 28

Devanagari script

स्त्रीणां ग्राममध्ये चण्डालः पक्षान्तरे पञ्चशिफा दद्यात् ॥ कZ_०३.३.२८ ॥

Transliteration

strīṇāṃ grāmamadhye caṇḍālaḥ pakṣāntare pañcaśiphā dadyāt

Translation

ਜੇ ਪਿੰਡ ਦੇ ਵਿਚਕਾਰ ਔਰਤਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਕੋਈ ਚੰਡਾਲ ਮਿਲੇ, ਤਾਂ ਪਖਵਾੜੇ ਦੇ ਅੰਤ ‘ਤੇ ਉਹ ਪੰਜ ਸ਼ਿਫਾ ਅਦਾ ਕਰੇ।

Word by Word

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women; women’s
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री
• Form: षष्ठी-बहुवचनम् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)

• ग्राममध्ये: in the middle of the village; within the village
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम-मध्य
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; ‘मध्ये’ इति सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण)

• चण्डालः: a Caṇḍāla (outcaste)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डाल
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (पुंलिङ्ग)

• पक्षान्तरे: in the alternate fortnight; every other fortnight
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष-अन्तर
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनम् (नपुंसकलिङ्ग)

• पञ्चशिफा: (a fine of) five śifā (units)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च-शिफा
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग); दण्ड/देय-राशिः (पञ्च-शिफा = पञ्च शिफाः यस्याः सा)

• दद्यात्: should give; shall pay
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (दाने)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; कर्तरि प्रयोगः

Entities Mentioned

• caṇḍāla
• women (strī)
• village administration (implicit)

More Details

FAQs

What does 'pakṣāntare' suggest about enforcement design?

It indicates deferred/periodic collection (fortnightly accounting), aligning penalties with administrative settlement cycles rather than immediate extraction.