("theft") Steya was the stealing of a brahmin's wealth, beyond a certain stipulated quantity, in the dharma literature, and was one of the Four Great Crimes whose com mission rendered one an outcast from society.
One who committed this offense was sentenced to go before
the king with an iron club and suffer a lethal hit to the head.
Whether or whether one died, this strike would erase the
offense, however one was also supposed to return the stolen goods.
Fasting (upavasa) and other penances were used to satisfy
the penalty for smaller quantities of gold (prayashchitta).
The emphasis on the gravity of this sin reflects the
interests of the brahmins, who probably created the majority of dharma
literature.