Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 73
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
प्रसह्य दास्यभिगमे दण्डो दशपणः स्मृतः कुबन्धेनाङ्क्य गमयेदन्त्याप्रव्रजितागमे
prasahya dāsyabhigame daṇḍo daśapaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ kubandhenāṅkya gamayedantyāpravrajitāgame
যি দাসীৰ সৈতে বলপূৰ্বক সহবাস কৰে, তাৰ দণ্ড দহ পণ বুলি স্মৃতিত কোৱা হৈছে। তাক অপকীৰ্তিৰ দাগেৰে চিহ্নিত কৰি বান্ধি নিৰ্বাসিত কৰিব লাগে—অন্ত্য নাৰী বা অপ্রব্ৰজিতা নাৰীৰ সৈতে গমনৰ ক্ষেত্ৰত।
Lord Agni (in dialogue instruction to Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purana narration)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Guidance for a king’s court on grading sexual offences by status/consent, assigning fines, public stigma (branding), and banishment to deter coercion and protect social order.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Penalty for forced intercourse (slave/Antya) and banishment with branding","lookup_keywords":["prasahya","dasyabhigama","danda","antya","kubandha-anka"],"quick_summary":"Coercive intercourse with a female slave is fined (ten paṇas). For intercourse with an Antya woman or a non-renunciant woman, the offender is branded, bound, and expelled as a deterrent and public censure."}
Concept: Rājadharma uses graded punishment (daṇḍa) to restrain coercion and uphold social protection norms.
Application: Court procedure: establish coercion, status category, then impose fine/branding/expulsion to prevent recurrence and signal communal disapproval.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Dharmaśāstra: criminal and social law)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court scene where an offender is fined, then branded with a mark of disgrace, bound with ropes, and escorted out of the city gates as banishment.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, inside a palace court (sabha), king on throne with parasol, scribes and guards, offender being branded on shoulder and bound, strong earthy reds/ochres, stylized faces, clear narrative registers.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gilded throne and arch, king dispensing justice, gold leaf highlights on ornaments and pillars, offender with visible brand mark, guards leading him away, rich maroons and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, fine linework and soft shading, judicial tableau with labeled objects (fine coins, branding iron, rope), calm but stern expressions, instructional composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed court architecture and textiles, precise depiction of coins (paṇas), branding implement, guards escorting offender beyond city gate, naturalistic faces and perspective."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"stern","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दास्यभिगमे = दास्य-अभिगमे; कुबन्धेनाङ्क्य = कुबन्धेन आङ्क्य; गमयेदन्त्याप्रव्रजितागमे = गमयेत् अन्त्य-अप्रव्रजित-आगमे.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (Rajadharma/Vyavahara: sexual offences and penalties)
FAQs
It gives a Vyavahāra (legal) rule: the quantified fine (ten paṇas) for coercive intercourse with a slave-woman, and the additional punitive measures of branding, binding, and expulsion in specified cases.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana compiles Rajadharma and criminal jurisprudence—here, detailing monetary fines and corporal/social penalties—showing its scope as a compendium of governance and law.
By prescribing daṇḍa for coercive and illicit acts, the text frames such conduct as adharma that generates negative karma, and treats punishment as a means to restrain wrongdoing and restore social-ethical order (dharma).