Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c9.1

c9.1

§ 36. Religious transgressions. The expressions for the general concept of "crime, 'trangression" are very numerous, but are mostly of a religious nature ; by way of example I mention here agha, āgas, enas, pāpa, pāpman "evil, sin", aśubha, kalmaṣa, paṅka, mala "filth, sin", adharma "injustice", kilbiṣa, doṣa, duṣṭa "omission, transgression", unmārga "going astray", hiṃsā, aparādha, apakāra "infraction, transgression," atikrama, dharmavyatikrama, apacāra, duṣkṛta, vikarman, vikṛta "transgression, evil-doing", patanīya, saṃkarīkaraṇa, jātibhramśakara, pātaka as well as the derived words atipātaka, mahāpātaka, anupātaka, upapātaka signifying "crimes which cause the loss of caste." The last group of expressions is specially important because they exhibit the close connection between the criminal law and the caste system. Impenitent sinners and those whose sins are generally unatonable, not only go to hell and later undergo low births, but they are also excommunicated out of the caste.