Life in Ancient India as Depicted in Jain Canons

Author(s): Jagdishchandra Jain
Publisher: New Book Company

Page 75

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
73
The offenders were also sentenced to great humiliation as their relatives were ordered to live in the Candāla settlement."
Besides, the following types of punishments are mentioned specifically :-putting in irons (aduyabandhana), in fetters, in stocks (hadibandhana), into prison, screwing up hands and feet in a pair of shackles and breaking them, cutting off hands and feet, or ears or nose or lips or head or throat-glands (murazi), piercing the organ (veyagachahiya?), body (angachahrya), the sides, tearing out eyes, teeth, testicles, or tongue, hanging, brushing, whirling round, impaling, lacerating, pouring acids (in wounds), belabouring with a leather strap, twisting the organ like a lion's tail (sühapucchiya), like a bull's tail, burning in a wood fire and exposing the offender to be devoured by crows and vultures,64
PRISONS
There were regular prisons in those days, although we do not know what kinds of offenders were imprisoned and for what period. But it seems that the general conditions of the prison were not good. The prisoners were severely tortured in the prison and frequently they died. The Vivāgasuya gives a vivid description of a well-equipped prison in Sihapura. Dujjohana was the jailor who provided jails with various kinds of instruments of torture. There were a number of iron-jars filled with copper, tin, lead, -lımę-water (kalakala) and oil cooked with alkaline ingredients (khāratella) always kept on fire. There were jars containing urine of various animals; handcuffs (hatthanduya), fetters (pāyanduya), wooden frames to fasten the feet (hadı), and iron chains ; various kinds of whips, stones, sticks, clubs, ropes, traps, swords, saws, razors, iron-nails, leather-straps, needles, hatchets, nail-cutters, and darbha grass The criminals were made to lie on their backs, their mouths were opened by means of an iron-staff, a red-hot copper ctc. and the urine was poured into their mouth; thcy were tortured by various instruments. The plight of the prisoners was miserable. They suffered from hunger, thirst, heat, cold, cough and leprosy. Theil na:ls, hair,
00 Ullara Tl., p 190a bi This is also nicntioned in the com on the Udāna, p. 149.
83 This meaning is given in the Pārjasaddamahannaio, p 1020, Jbhayadeva, however, gives a variant, 'zūrkacchachinnaga' and renders as 'ullarūsanganyayena udarilah' (Oru. Sū , 38, p. 164)
88 Also refer to the commentary for explanation,
64 Sāya II, 2 35, Oma Sa , 38, p 1627, Panha, 3,52a ff, also cf, Mlındapanha, p. 197, Mazhima, I, 87
65 According to Jain tradition during the first era the punishment was of a muld character. The first two Kulakaras established the 'hakkara' (expression of iegiet), then came "makkara (prohibition), then was established the punishment of 'dhukkara' (reproach)---dhigdanda and vägdanda are also mentioned in the 1 ajñavalkya smrti, I, 13, 307 Then it is said that Reabha. deva, the first Tirthnkara introduced the punishment of confinement to a particular are (mandalabandha) After that Bharata is said to have introduced caraka or imprisonment and chaviccheya or mutilation of hand, foot and nose etc (Fumbu, S'u., 2, 29; Tha., 7. 557).
UB 6, pp. 36 ff.