Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 75
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
अभक्षैर् दूषयन् विप्रं दण्ड उत्तमसाहसम् कूटस्वर्णव्यवहारी विमांसस्य च विक्रयी
abhakṣair dūṣayan vipraṃ daṇḍa uttamasāhasam kūṭasvarṇavyavahārī vimāṃsasya ca vikrayī
যে নিষিদ্ধ খাদ্য দ্বারা ব্রাহ্মণকে কলুষিত করে, সে ‘উত্তমসাহস’ দণ্ডের যোগ্য। তদ্রূপ জাল সোনা নিয়ে কারবারকারী এবং (অধর্মভাবে) মাংস বিক্রেতাও।
Lord Agni (in instruction on rajadharma/vyavahara)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Legal classification of high offences: ritual/social defilement of a Brahmin via prohibited foods, economic fraud (counterfeit gold), and unlawful meat trade—each attracting the highest sāhasa penalty.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Acts incurring ‘uttama-sāhasa’ (highest violent/fraud penalty)","lookup_keywords":["abhakshya","vipra-dushana","kuta-svarna","vyavahara","mamsa-vikraya"],"quick_summary":"Defiling a Brahmin with forbidden food, trading counterfeit gold, and unlawful meat-selling are grouped as grave offences punished with the highest sāhasa fine/penalty."}
Concept: Protection of varṇa-āśrama norms and economic trust: ritual injury and monetary falsification are treated as high harms to society.
Application: Regulate markets (assay gold), supervise slaughter/meat trade per law, and prosecute deliberate ‘defilement’ acts as aggravated offences.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Dharma-shastra: offences and punishments)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Three vignettes: (1) a person deceitfully offers forbidden food to a Brahmin; (2) a goldsmith passes counterfeit gold; (3) a butcher sells meat illicitly—then all are judged in court under ‘uttama-sāhasa’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, triptych narrative with clear iconographic cues: Brahmin with sacred thread refusing food, goldsmith with scales and yellow metal, butcher stall; final court scene with king and guards.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold leaf used to highlight genuine vs counterfeit gold, ornate court setting, Brahmin figure dignified, strong moral contrast in composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional market scenes: weighing scales, touchstone testing, meat stall; captions implied by arrangement; subdued palette and fine outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling bazaar with assayer, gold coins, and butcher shop; then a court hearing with detailed textiles and expressive gestures."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अभक्षैर् = अभक्षैः (visarga before d-); उत्तमसाहसम् = उत्तम-साहसम्; कूटस्वर्णव्यवहारी = कूट-स्वर्ण-व्यवहारी.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (Vyavahara: fines, sāhasa gradations, market offences)
FAQs
It specifies a dharma-legal classification of punishment: certain acts—polluting a Brahmin with forbidden food, trading counterfeit gold, and illicit meat-selling—are assigned the severe ‘uttama-sāhasa’ penalty.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves governance and jurisprudence: it catalogs civil/penal offences (food-pollution, commercial fraud) and links them to graded punishments, functioning like a compact dharma-shastra manual.
The verse frames these acts as serious adharma: harming a Brahmin’s ritual purity and corrupting honest commerce generate heavy demerit, hence the text prescribes strong penalties to deter sin and protect social order (dharma).