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Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c7.s6.t3: Adultery

Life in Ancient India as Depicted in the Jain Canons, with Commentaries: An Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey c7.s6.t3

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Adultery

c7.s6.t3.1

Like robbery, adultery also was punished severely with death, imprisonment, mutilation and banishment. We are told that a person who committed adultery was censured and beaten, his head was shaved and his penis mutilated.³⁴ Ujjhiya was a merchant's son of Vāniyagāma who used to visit a courtesan named Kāmajjhayā. It so happened that the king also loved the same courtesan. One day, finding Ujjhiya in her house, the king turned him out and kept the courtesan as his mistress After some time Ujjhiya succeeded in visiting Kāmajjhayā secretly He was caught and was belaboured by the royal officers His hands were tightly bound behind his back, his nose and ears were mutilated, his body was besmeared with oil, he wore a pan of rough rags, round his neck was thrown a garland of red flowers, red dust was sprinkled over his body, he was made to eat the small pieces of his flesh, his offence being proclaimed at every square with the beat of a broken drum and thus he was led away to the place of execution.³⁵ A similar story is told about Sagada, who secretly visited the courtesan Sudamsanā, a keep of the king's minister. Sagada was charged with adultery and was brought before the king, who ordered him to be executed along with the courtesan Sagada was made to embrace a red-hot iron image of a woman till he died ³⁶ Then Bahassadatta, a minister of king Udayana, was impaled for a similar offence along with the queen.³⁷ Similarly, a merchant of Śrīnilayanagara is said to have been ordered to be executed for an offence of living in adultery with the queens of the harem. In this case it is said that not only the offender but even his friends and admirers were put to death³⁸

c7.s6.t3.2

³⁴ Nisī cū , 15, p 1002 , cf Manu, VIII, 374

c7.s6.t3.3

³⁵ Vivā , 2, p 18 f For a similar description see Kanavīra Jātaka, III, No 318 , Sulasā Jātaka, III, (No 419) , also cf. Yājñavalkyasmṛti (III, 5, 232 f) , Manu, VIII, 372 f.

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³⁶ Vivā., 4, p. 31.

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³⁷ Ibid, 5, p 35.

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³⁸ Piṇḍa Nir , 127.

c7.s6.t3.7

Then the commentary on the Uttarādhyayana refers to two brothers, named Kamaṭha and Marubhū of Poyanapura The former lived in adultery with the latter’s wife and was brought to the notice of the latter by the former’s wife. Marubhū left his house and returned after sometime in the disguise of a Kārpatika. He found his wife and his brother together and reported the matter to the king, who ordered Kamaṭha to be arrested, and accompanied with the music of harsh sounding drums with a garland of earthenware vessels (sarāva) around his neck, mounted on an ass,³⁹ he was led throughout the city and in the end was banished from the town⁴⁰.

c7.s6.t3.8

³⁹ Even women were awarded this kind of punishment (Manu. VIII, 370).

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⁴⁰ 23, p. 285 f Cf Gahapati Jātaka (II, No 199), p 131 f

c7.s6.t3.10

It seems that the Brāhmaṇas were awarded a lighter punishment for the same offence. We are told that a certain Brāhmaṇa committed adultery with his daughter-in-law and as a punishment he was asked to touch the four Vedas and that was considered enough to expiate his sin.⁴¹

c7.s6.t3.11

⁴¹ Vya Bhā. Pi , 17, p 10, cf Gautama, XII, 1, a śūdra who intentionally reviles twice-born men by criminal abuse or criminally assaults them with blows, shall be deprived of the limb with which he offends , also VIII. 12 f.

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