ATATAYIN (आततायी) - (Subhashita - 3/2026)

 Manusmriti

Verse 8.350

गुरुं वा बालवृद्धौ वा ब्राह्मणं वा बहुश्रुतम् ।

आततायिनमायान्तं हन्यादेवाविचारयन् ॥

guruṃ vā bālavṛddhau vā brāhmaṇaṃ vā bahuśrutam |

ātatāyinamāyāntaṃ hanyādevāvicārayan ||

"Without hesitation one should strike an approaching desperado (Atatayin), be he a preceptor (teacher), a child, an aged man, or a highly learned Brahmana."

Verse 8.351

नाततायिवधे दोषो हन्तुर्भवति कश्चन ।

प्रकाशं वाऽप्रकाशं वा मन्युस्तं मन्युमृच्छति ॥

nātatāyivadhe doṣo hanturbhavati kaścana |

prakāśaṃ vā'prakāśaṃ vā manyustaṃ manyumṛcchati ||

"No evil of any kind accrues to the slayer for killing a desperado, either openly or secretly; as it is only Fury recoiling upon Fury."

Notes... ATATAYIN (आततायी)

Dharma Shastras specifically define an Atatayin as someone who commits one of six extreme acts of aggression:

1. Setting fire to a house.

2. Administering poison.

3. Attacking with a weapon with murderous intent.

4. Stealing wealth or property.

5. Forcibly seizing land or fields.

6. Abducting or violating another's wife.

The verses emphasize that self-defense against such an aggressor is a righteous act, not a sin.

Verse 8.350: States that one should strike down an Atatayin without hesitation (avicārayan). The text specifies that this applies even if the attacker is someone typically held in high regard or considered vulnerable—such as a teacher, child, elderly person, or a learned Brahmin—if they are actively attempting to kill.

Verse 8.351: Clarifies that the person who kills such an aggressor incurs no guilt or sin (na doṣo), whether they do so openly or secretly. The philosophical reasoning provided is "fury recoils upon fury" (manyustam manyumṛcchati)—meaning the aggressor’s own violent intent is what causes their death, absolving the defender.

**********************