Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 13
Divya-pramāṇa-kathana
Explanation of Divine Proofs / Ordeals and Evidentiary Procedure
द्विगुणा वान्यथा ब्रूयुः कूटाः स्युःपूर्वसाक्षिणः पृथक् पृथग्दण्डनीयाः कूटकृत्साक्षिणस् तथा
dviguṇā vānyathā brūyuḥ kūṭāḥ syuḥpūrvasākṣiṇaḥ pṛthak pṛthagdaṇḍanīyāḥ kūṭakṛtsākṣiṇas tathā
إذا تكلّم الشهود السابقون على خلاف ما شهدوا به من قبل، عُدّوا شهودَ زور. ويُعاقَب صانعُ الكذب ومن يعضده من الشهود عقوبةً منفصلة، كلٌّ بحسب فعله.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Detecting perjury: witnesses who retract/contradict earlier testimony are classified as false; punish fabricators and supporting witnesses separately according to their roles.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Identification and Separate Punishment of False Witnesses","lookup_keywords":["kūṭa-sākṣin","perjury","punishment","pṛthak daṇḍa","sākṣya-virodha"],"quick_summary":"Contradicting prior testimony marks a witness as false. The instigator/fabricator and the corroborating false witnesses are to be punished separately, proportionate to their individual acts."}
Concept: Accountability is individualized: culpability follows the specific act (fabrication vs. support) and truth in testimony is a pillar of social order.
Application: In legal systems, distinguish principal offenders from accomplices in perjury and assign graded penalties.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Judicial Procedure and Law of Evidence)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Witnesses retracting earlier statements; the judge identifies them as false and orders separate punishments for the fabricator and the supporting witnesses.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, courtroom with a scribe reading prior deposition, witnesses shown with shifting gestures (contradiction), judge signaling separation of offenders, muted reds/ochres, stylized faces.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, judge on throne with gold embellishment, two accused groups labeled by role (fabricator vs supporters), attendants holding punishment edicts, heavy gold borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, procedural clarity: clerk displays earlier written testimony, judge points to two separate penalty lists, witnesses in distinct clusters, delicate ornamentation.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, fine detail of court officials recording, witnesses disputing among themselves, judge ordering separate custody, architectural arches and patterned carpets."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vānyathā = vā + anyathā; syuḥpūrvasākṣiṇaḥ = syuḥ + pūrvasākṣiṇaḥ; pṛthagdaṇḍanīyāḥ = pṛthak + daṇḍanīyāḥ; kūṭakṛtsākṣiṇaḥ = kūṭakṛt + sākṣiṇaḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 254 (false testimony, witness rules, penalties)
FAQs
It teaches vyavahāra-vidyā (judicial procedure): how to classify contradictory prior witnesses as false (kūṭa) and how to assign punishments distinctly to the fabricator of falsehood and the supporting witnesses.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves practical statecraft—courtroom standards for testimony, perjury, and graded punishment—showing it functions as a compendium of governance and legal norms.
By condemning and penalizing false testimony, it upholds satya (truth) as a core dharmic duty; perjury is treated as a grave adharma that produces negative karma and social disorder, hence requiring correction through danda (lawful punishment).