In the realm governed by dharma, justice was administered with careful attention to every deed, great or small. If a person committed assault, he was required to pay double the usual penalty; but if he brazenly committed the act after openly declaring, “I will pay,” then the punishment was quadrupled. And so, the law held firm against those who exceeded the bounds of decency—whether one abused a noble, struck his brother’s wife, withheld what was required to be given, or broke into a house by the sea, each offense was met with a just response. Harming local chiefs or artisans, or others in similar positions, drew a fixed penalty of fifty paṇas, as did approaching a widow at her own will or refusing to come when loudly called. In the same way, a Śūdra who ate food meant for ascetics, or partook in sacrifices to gods or ancestors, or swore a false oath, or performed acts unfit for his station, was bound by these rules. To render bulls or lesser animals impotent, to deny common property, or to destroy a maidservant’s pregnancy—these too were acts for which the law prescribed judgment. The bonds of family and learning were also protected: if a father, son, sister, brother, husband and wife, or teacher and student abandoned each other without cause, a fine of one hundred was imposed. To wear another’s garment incurred a fine of three paṇas, but failing to return borrowed clothing, or failing in the duties of sale, purchase, deposit, or loan, meant a penalty of ten paṇas. There was no tolerance for those who tampered with weights, measures, or coins, or who did business with such deceit; they faced the highest penalty. If someone claimed what was genuine to be counterfeit or vice versa, or falsely tested coins, he faced the first-level fine for assault. Physicians, too, were accountable: if a healer acted wrongly, he paid the lowest fine for harming animals, the middle for humans, and the highest for royal persons. Those who bound someone not to be bound, released one who was rightly bound, or engaged in unauthorized litigation, all faced the highest penalty. If anyone, by weight or measure, took away an eighth part, he was fined twenty-two paṇas, with adjustments for greater or lesser amounts. Adulterating medicines, oils, salt, perfumes, grains, or other goods incurred a fine of sixteen paṇas. The law was vigilant against collusion: if artisans or craftsmen conspired to fix prices or restrict trade, causing artificial loss or gain, the penalty was a thousand. The king set the daily price for goods, and this was the lawful rate for sale or purchase; any profit taken by merchants beyond this was considered unlawful. Merchants were permitted a profit of five out of a hundred for goods from their own country, and ten for foreign goods, when buying and selling immediately. The price should reflect the cost of the goods, with a reasonable profit for both buyer and seller. If someone, having received payment, failed to deliver the goods, he was to pay with interest, or, if the buyer came from another region, to compensate for the loss due to distance. Goods could be resold if the original buyer had not taken possession, but any loss due to the buyer’s own fault was his alone. If goods were damaged by royal authority or by fate, the loss fell upon the seller—unless the goods had been specially ordered and not yet delivered. If something sold was found to be defective, or was treated as such, the seller paid a penalty twice the value of the item. If a person bought goods without knowledge of their depreciation or appreciation, he was not to be blamed; but if he acted knowingly, he was liable to a fine of one-sixth. When merchants acted together for profit, gain and loss were divided according to the capital each invested, or as mutually agreed. If something entrusted was lost through negligence, the responsible person paid for it in full; if lost by calamity, he was liable for one-tenth. From the declared profit, the king took a twentieth as tax; goods that were prohibited or suitable for the king, when sold, belonged to the king. Anyone who gave false measurements, evaded taxes, or bought and sold with deceit, paid eight times the value as penalty. If someone died in a foreign land, his property was to go to heirs or relatives present; if none were there, the king claimed it. All were enjoined to abandon crookedness and greed; if a person could not do so, another should act in his stead. This rule was declared for priests, farmers, and workers alike. The pursuit of thieves was vigilant: a thief might be apprehended by buyers, traced by a shovel or by his footprints, or recognized by being a repeat offender or wearing unclean clothes. Others could also be seized on suspicion—such as those who concealed their caste or name, gamblers, drunkards, or those with dry or broken voices. Suspicion also fell on those who entered others’ houses, questioned others, wandered from house to house, roamed aimlessly, spent excessively, or sold lost goods. If someone was apprehended on suspicion of theft, he was to clear himself by oath. If found guilty, he had to restore the stolen property and suffer the penalty prescribed for thieves. A thief was required to restore what he had stolen and was subject to execution by various punishments; if a Brahmin was marked as a thief, he was exiled from his land. When killings or thefts occurred, the village headman was held responsible if present; if absent, the entire village, or the place where the incident happened, had to pay the fine. Those from five or ten villages outside the boundary, as well as those who seized travelers, horse thieves, and deer stealers, were included in the scope of the law. Those who committed murder by force were to be impaled on a stake. Those who threw victims down, broke joints, or injured hands with pincers faced severe punishment. For a second offense, the punishment was the cutting off of a hand or foot, and the expenses for food, shelter, fire, water, and ritual implements had to be paid as well. The highest penalty was given to a thief or a killer if the act was known, and this same penalty applied for causing a miscarriage by weapon or for causing an abortion. Regardless of a person’s status, if he killed a man or a woman, or if a woman committed murder or used poison, she was to have a stone tied to her and be cast into the water. Thus, the law upheld justice with unwavering resolve, maintaining order and righteousness in the land.