I found this of interest. I wonder if anyone can shed light on what the “caustic pickle” torture method involved?
What is the fault apparent in the present life? It’s when someone sees that kings have arrested a bandit, a criminal, and subjected them to various punishments—whipping, caning, and clubbing; cutting off hands or feet, or both; cutting off ears or nose, or both; the ‘porridge pot’, the ‘shell-shave’, the ‘demon’s mouth’, the ‘garland of fire’, the ‘burning hand’, the ‘grass blades’, the ‘bark dress’, the ‘antelope’, the ‘meat hook’, the ‘coins’, the ‘caustic pickle’, the ‘twisting bar’, the ‘straw mat’; being splashed with hot oil, being fed to the dogs, being impaled alive, and being beheaded.
Pondera wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 7:21 pm
I wonder if anyone can shed light on what the “caustic pickle” torture method involved?
khārāpatacchika: a form of torture (involving inflicting wounds which are then treated with a caustic fluid) khāra: an alkali; a caustic substance (e.g. soda, potash, lye)
(New Concise Pali English Dictionary)
Pondera wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 7:21 pm
I wonder if anyone can shed light on what the “caustic pickle” torture method involved?
khārāpatacchika: a form of torture (involving inflicting wounds which are then treated with a caustic fluid) khāra: an alkali; a caustic substance (e.g. soda, potash, lye)
(New Concise Pali English Dictionary)
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
Pondera wrote: ↑Fri May 21, 2021 7:21 pm
I wonder if anyone can shed light on what the “caustic pickle” torture method involved?
khārāpatacchika: a form of torture (involving inflicting wounds which are then treated with a caustic fluid) khāra: an alkali; a caustic substance (e.g. soda, potash, lye)
(New Concise Pali English Dictionary)
That's only half the story. After covering the malefactor's body with caustic fluid they scrub him with brushes until all his skin and tendons have been brushed away, leaving only bones.
Here's Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of some of the others:
Mp gives detailed explanations of all these punishments. I translate only the first few and leave the rest to the reader’s imagination. (1) The porridge pot (bilaṅgathālika): they crack open his skull, take up a hot iron ball with tongs, put the ball inside, and boil his brains until they overflow. (2) The polished-shell shave (saṅkhamuṇḍika): they cut the skin [in the area] bounded by his upper lip, the roots of the ears, and gullet, bind all his head hairs into a knot, tie them around a stick, and pull it up, so that his skin together with his head hairs comes off; then they rub his skull with coarse sand and wash it, until it becomes the color of a conch shell. (3) Rāhu’s mouth (rāhumukha): they force open his mouth with a spike and burn a lamp inside his mouth, or they dig into his mouth with a spade until the blood flows and fills his mouth. (4) The fiery wreath (jotimālika): they wind an oiled cloth around his entire body and ignite it. (5) The flaming hand (hatthapajjotika): they wind an oiled cloth around his hand and ignite it so that it burns like a lamp.
"La journée sera rude." ["It's going to be a rough day."]
- Robert-François Damiens, on being sentenced to be publicly tortured to death
