History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.348

v5.c71.s1.348

If a kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra intentionally and directly killed a brāhmaṇa, the expiation was death, but otherwise each had respectively to undergo twice, thrice or four times as much prāyaścitta as a brāhmaṇa sinner would have had to undergo for killing a brāhmaṇa.²²² Conversely, if a brāhmaṇa killed a kṣatriya or vaiśya or a śūdra the sin was only an upapātaka (acc. to Yāj. III. 236 and Manu XI. 66), unless the kṣatriya or vaiśya victim was engaged in performing a soma sacrifice (Sāmavidhāna Br. I. 7. 5, Yāj. III 251, Vas. 20. 34) when the penance was heavy. Yāj. III. 266-267, Manu XI. 126-130 and Āp. Dh. S. I.9.24. 1-4 prescribe other penances for killing a kṣatriya, a vaiśya or a śūdra. The penance for a kṣatriya killing a kṣatriya is a little less (i. e. by 1/7) than the penance for a brāhmaṇa killing a kṣatriya Vide the verse 'vipre tu sakalam deyam' quoted above (note 192).