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 করলে উভয়ের দণ্ড অবৈধ সহবাস/সঙ্গ্ৰহণের মতোই। যে পশু হেঁকিয়ে নিয়ে যায়, তাকে একশো (পণ) জরিমানা দিতে হবে; হীন-স্থিতির নারী গ্রহণ ও গাভী গ্রহণে 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.