Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 8
Determination of Boundary Disputes and Related Matters (सीमाविवादादिनिर्णयः)
स्वामिने यो ऽनिवेद्यैव क्षेत्रे सेतुं प्रकल्पयेत् उत्पन्ने स्वामिनो भोगस्तदभावे महीपतेः
svāmine yo 'nivedyaiva kṣetre setuṃ prakalpayet utpanne svāmino bhogastadabhāve mahīpateḥ
যে ব্যক্তি মালিককে না জানিয়ে ক্ষেতের মধ্যে সেতু (বাঁধ/সেচকর্ম) নির্মাণ করে—ফল উৎপন্ন হলে ভোগাধিকার মালিকের; আর মালিক না থাকলে রাজার।
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vashistha in a rajadharma/vyavahara sequence)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: artha
Type: Agrarian territory
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यो ऽनिवेद्यैव → यः + अनिवेद्य + एव; भोगस्तदभावे → भोगः + तत्-अभावे.
FAQs
It gives a practical vyavahara (legal) rule: building an irrigation bund (setu) on someone’s land without notice does not transfer the right to the resulting produce; the yield remains the owner’s, and if ownerless it accrues to the king.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves applied governance—land, waterworks, and revenue principles—showing how dharma texts also functioned as manuals for agrarian administration and property disputes.
It reinforces dharmic restraint: beneficial public works must still respect rightful ownership and social order; acting without consent invites adharma, while rightful allocation of benefits supports ethical governance.