History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.1240.1

v4.c63.1240.1

Ṛg. X. 5.6 " the wise made seven boundaries (restrictions) by transgressing even any one of which a man becomes sinful ", the Nirukta VI. 27 enumerates the seven sins as "theft, violating the bed (of the *guru*), murder of a brāhmaṇa, murder of a bhrūṇa, continual performance of sinful acts, telling a lie as to a sinful matter". In the Tai. S. II. 5. 1. 1., Śat. Br. XIII. 3. 1. 1. and other Brāhmaṇa texts, the murder of a brāhmaṇa seems to have been regarded as the gravest of all sins (vide H. of Dh. vol. II. p. 147 and *n.* 333). In the Chāndogya¹¹⁶² Up. V. 10. 9 the five great sinners are declared to be the thief of gold, the drinker of liquor, the violator of the guru's bed, the murderer of a brāhmaṇa and one who associates with them. Gaut. (XXI. 1–3) declares that the murderer of a brāhmaṇa, the drinker of liquor, one guilty of sexual intercourse with the wife of his *guru* (elder or teacher) or with women who are the sapiṇḍas of his father or mother, a thief (who steals a brāhmaṇa's gold), an atheist, one who continually does forbidden acts, one who does not abandon a *patita* (son or the like through affection) and one who deserts his relations though they are not *patita* are *patitas* and so is one who incites another to commit a grave sin and also one who associates with a *patita* for a year (as regards a vehicle, a seat and bed). Āp. Dh. S. (I. 7. 21. 8–11) contains a longer list of grave sins (*patanīya*). Vas. (I.