THE HINDU SOCIAL ORDER : ITS ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES 109
VIII. 268. “A priest shall be fined fifty if he slanders a soldier; twenty-five if a merchant and twelve if he slanders a man of the servile class.”
Take the offence of insults. The punishment prescribed by Manu is as follows:
VIII. 270. “A Shudra who insults a Dvija with gross invectives, ought to have his tongue slit for he sprang from the lowest part of Brahma.”
VIII. 271. “If he mentions their names and classes with contumely, as if he says, ‘Oh Devadatta, thou refuse of Brahmin’; an iron style, ten fingers long, shall be thrust red into his mouth.”
VIII. 272. “Should he, through pride, give instructions to Brahmins concerning their duty; let the king order some hot oil to be dropped into his mouth and his ear.”
Punishment for the offence of abuse. Manu says:
VIII. 276. “For mutual abuse by a Brahmin and a Kshatriya, this fine must be imposed by a learned king; the lowest on the Brahmin and the middlemost on the soldier.”
VIII. 277. “A Vaishya and a Shudra must be punished exactly in the same manner according to their respective castes, except the slitting of the tongue of the Shudras. This is the fixed rule of punishment.”
Punishment for the offence of assault. Manu propounds:
VIII. 279. “With whatever limb a Shudra shall assault or hurt a Dvija that limb, of his shall be cut off, this is in accordance of Manu.”
Punishment for the offence of arrogance. According to Manu:
VIII. 281. “A Shudra who shall insolently place himself on the same seat with 9 man of high caste, shall either be branded on his hip and be banished or the King shall cause a gash to be made on his buttock.”
VIII. 282. “Should he spit on him through pride, the king shall order both his lips to be gashed; should he urine on him, his penis; should he break wind against him, his anus.”
VIII. 283. “If he seizes the Brahmin by the locks or likewise if he takes him by the feet, let the king unhesitatingly cut off his hands, or by the beard, or by the throat or by the scrotum.”
Punishment for the offence of adultery. Says Manu.
VIII. 359. “A man who is not a Brahmin who commits actual adultery ought to suffer death; for the wives, indeed of all the four classes must ever be most especially guarded.”