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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra cover

॥ श्री ॥tantraFor reading

Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 11.38

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Verses
2517
Minutes
1258
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 11 · Verse 38

व्यभिचारे दण्डःThe punishment of unlawful union

Verse 38

राजन्यवैश्यशूद्राणां सामान्यानां वरानने । ब्राह्मणीं गच्छतां ज्ञानाल्लिङ्गच्छेदो दमः स्मृतः ॥ ३८ ॥

rājanyavaiśyaśūdrāṇāṁ sāmānyānāṁ varānanē | brāhmaṇīṁ gacchatāṁ jñānālliṅgacchēdō damaḥ smṛtaḥ || 38 ||

Translation

For kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras and the common class who knowingly go to a brāhmaṇa woman, lovely one, the punishment is castration.

Word by word

rājanya
kṣatriyas
vaiśya
vaiśyas
śūdrāṇāṁ
and śūdras
sāmānyānāṁ
of the common class
varānanē
O lovely one
brāhmaṇīṁ
a brāhmaṇa woman
gacchatāṁ
who go to
jñānāt
(jñānāt) knowingly
liṅga
of the organ
cchēdaḥ
(chedaḥ) cutting off
damaḥ
(damaḥ) the punishment
smṛtaḥ
(smṛtaḥ) is declared

Meaning

The text's own scheme of the classes, in which offences against the brāhmaṇa carry the heaviest penalty. These are the penalties of the Tantra's own ideal kingdom, given as the text states them; they describe its teaching, not any present law.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

Now he tells the punishment of kṣatriyas and the rest for knowingly going to a brāhmaṇa woman, and of her if consenting, with "rājanya" and the rest. O lovely one, for kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, the common class and those of the lowest birth who knowingly go to a brāhmaṇa woman, the punishment is declared to be the cutting off of the liṅga.