Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 71
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
प्रतिषेधे तयोर्दण्डो यथा संग्रहणे तथा पशून् गच्छंश्छतं दाप्यो हीनां स्त्रीं गाश् च मध्यमम्
pratiṣedhe tayordaṇḍo yathā saṃgrahaṇe tathā paśūn gacchaṃśchataṃ dāpyo hīnāṃ strīṃ gāś ca madhyamam
নিষেধ অমান্য কৰিলে দুয়োৰ দণ্ড সঙ্গ্ৰহণ (অবৈধ সহবাস)ৰ দণ্ডৰ সমান। যিয়ে পশু হেঁচাই লৈ যায়, সি এশ (পণ) দণ্ড দিব; হীন-স্থিতিৰ নাৰী গ্ৰহণ আৰু গাই গ্ৰহণত মধ্যম দণ্ড।
Lord Agni (Agni Purana narrator) to sage Vasiṣṭha (traditional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Provides equivalence of punishment for violating prohibitions and adds fine schedules for cattle-driving/abduction and certain takings (low-status woman, cows) with graded penalties.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Pratiṣedha-bhaṅga & paśu-haraṇa—Equated penalties and cattle fines","lookup_keywords":["pratiṣedha","daṇḍa","paśu-haraṇa","śata-paṇa","madhyama-daṇḍa"],"quick_summary":"Defying a prohibition triggers the same penalty as illicit cohabitation. Driving away cattle is fined at 100 paṇas; taking a low-status woman and taking cows attract a middle-grade fine."}
Concept: Protection of social order and property (especially cattle) through standardized fines; prohibition gains force via penalty equivalence.
Application: Administrative law: treat prohibition-violation as an aggravating factor; apply fixed fines for cattle theft/abduction and graded fines for specified takings.
Khanda Section: Rājadharma & Vyavahāra (Law, Punishments, Social Governance)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A herdsman’s cattle being driven away by an offender; a guard intercepts; in court, the judge equates ‘prohibition breach’ with ‘illicit cohabitation’ and marks fines: 100 and ‘madhyama’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, pastoral cattle line with a thief leading them, village guards chasing, then a court vignette with a fine board showing ‘śata’ and ‘madhyama’, bold colors and stylized cows.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, richly adorned king judging, gold-highlighted cows in a side scene, coin stacks for 100 paṇas, decorative legal scrolls, vibrant palette.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear narrative sequence: cattle-driving offence, apprehension, courtroom fine assessment; precise depiction of cows and accounting implements, soft shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed rural landscape with cattle and dust, guards on foot, then an indoor tribunal with scribes; fine calligraphy labels for ‘śata’ and ‘madhyama-daṇḍa’."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तयोर्दण्डो = तयोः + दण्डः; गच्छंश्छतं = गच्छन् + शतम्; दाप्यो = दाप्यः (विसर्गलोप/पदसन्धि); गाश् = गाः; मध्यमम्—अध्याहारः: मध्यमं (दमं/दण्डं)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (saṅgrahaṇa/strī-doṣa penalties; property offences and fine gradations)
FAQs
It imparts vyavahāra-vidyā (legal procedure): graded fines and equivalence of penalties—treating violation of a prohibition like illicit cohabitation, and assigning specific monetary fines for driving off cattle and for offences involving women/cows.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves practical rājadharma: concrete rules of punishment, social regulation, and property/person offences—showing its coverage of statecraft and jurisprudence alongside spiritual topics.
By prescribing proportionate daṇḍa, the text frames kingship as dharma-protection: just punishment restrains adharma, reduces social harm (especially theft and exploitation), and supports the ruler’s duty to maintain moral order, thereby limiting negative karmic fallout in the realm.