Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s18.26

v1.c3.s18.26

Daṇḍa, ‘staff.’ (a) This word is often mentioned in the ordinary sense; for example, when used for driving cattle¹ (go-ajanāsaḥ), or as a weapon.² A staff was given to a man on consecration for driving away demons, according to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa.³ The staff also played a part in the initiation (upanayana) of a youth on attaining manhood.⁴ In a modified sense the word is used to denote the handle of a ladle or similar implement.⁵ (b) The ‘staff’ as the symbol of temporal power, implying punishment, is applied by the king (*rāja-preṣito daṇḍaḥ*).¹ The king, in modern phraseology, was the source of criminal law; and he clearly retained this branch of law in his own hands even in later times.² The punishment of the non-guilty (*a-daṇḍya*) is given as one of the characteristics of the non-Brahminical Vrātyas in the Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa.³ See also Dharma.