Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 35
Chapter 255: दायविभागकथनम्
On the Division of Inheritance
अधिवित्तस्त्रियै दद्यादधिवेदनिकं समम् न दत्तं स्रीधनं यस्यै दत्ते त्वर्धं प्रकीर्तितम्
adhivittastriyai dadyādadhivedanikaṃ samam na dattaṃ srīdhanaṃ yasyai datte tvardhaṃ prakīrtitam
Der Ehefrau, über die eine weitere Frau genommen wird (wenn eine Mitfrau eingeführt wird), soll eine gleich bemessene adhivedanika-Entschädigung gegeben werden. Ist ihr zuvor kein strīdhana gewährt worden, so wird in diesem Fall der zu gebende Betrag als die Hälfte bezeichnet.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vashistha in dharma/legal norms as preserved in the Agni Purana)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Rule for compensatory payment (adhivedanika) to a wife when a co-wife is taken; guidance for marital settlements and prevention of domestic litigation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Rule","entry_title":"Adhivedanika compensation on taking a co-wife; relation to strīdhana grant","lookup_keywords":["adhivedanika","adhivitta","co-wife","strīdhana","vivāha dharma"],"quick_summary":"When a husband takes another wife, the first wife should receive equal adhivedanika compensation. If she had not been given strīdhana earlier, the prescribed grant is half (as stated here) in that compensatory context."}
Concept: Household dharma includes material safeguards to reduce harm when marital arrangements change.
Application: Structuring prenuptial/household agreements and compensation to protect the first wife’s economic security.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Smriti (Stridhana, Vivaha-dharma, Inheritance and marital law)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A domestic-court or family council where the first wife receives compensation (coins/jewels) upon the husband bringing a second wife; witnesses record the settlement.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, household council with elders, first wife seated with dignified sorrow, compensation items placed on cloth, second wife in background, restrained palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, ceremonial presentation of compensation with gold-leaf jewelry, symmetrical figures, ornate textiles, emphasis on wealth transfer as dharma.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic scene with labeled compensation items and scribe, gentle expressions, fine outlines, balanced composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate zenana-courtyard settlement scene, detailed textiles and jewelry, clerk writing agreement, nuanced interpersonal tension."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अधिवित्तस्त्रियै → अधिवित्त-स्त्रियै; दद्यादधिवेदनिकं → दद्यात् अधिवेदनिकम्; त्वर्धं → तु अर्धम्. Note: ‘दत्ते’ read as verb form; some recensions may have ‘दत्ते’ as locative/dual etc., but here taken as 2nd sg. Ātmanepada present.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 255 (strīdhana, vivāha-dharma, compensation rules)
FAQs
It gives a dharma-legal rule: when a husband introduces a co-wife (adhivedana), the earlier wife is owed an adhivedanika payment—equal in measure; if her strīdhana has not been given earlier, the prescribed amount is stated as half.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana compiles practical governance and social law (rājadharma/smṛti). This verse is part of its legal-material guidance on marriage arrangements, women’s property (strīdhana), and compensatory obligations.
By prescribing fair compensation and safeguarding a wife’s property rights, it frames marital conduct as a matter of dharma: fulfilling these obligations reduces harm and injustice, supporting righteous household life and favorable karmic outcomes.