Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 17
Chapter 255: दायविभागकथनम्
On the Division of Inheritance
क्षतायामक्षतायां वा जातः पौनर्भवः सुतः दद्यान्माता पिता वा यं स पुत्री दत्तको भवेत्
kṣatāyāmakṣatāyāṃ vā jātaḥ paunarbhavaḥ sutaḥ dadyānmātā pitā vā yaṃ sa putrī dattako bhavet
A son born of a woman who has remarried—whether she is termed kṣatā (ritually/legally violated) or akṣatā (unviolated)—is called a paunarbhava son. And whomever the mother or the father gives (in adoption), he becomes the putrī-dattaka, the “daughter-given” adopted son.
Lord Agni (teaching dharma/lineage rules to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s discourse style)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Classifying kinds of sons for purposes of lineage continuity, adoption validity, and inheritance rights in family law and royal courts.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Paunarbhava and Putrī-dattaka (daughter-given adopted son)","lookup_keywords":["paunarbhava","putrī-dattaka","punarbhū","adoption","putra-bheda"],"quick_summary":"Defines the paunarbhava son (born of a remarried woman) and the putrī-dattaka (a son given by mother or father, linked to a daughter’s line), for determining filial status in rites and property."}
Concept: Putra-bheda (legal categories of sonship) as a dharmic mechanism to preserve lineage, rites, and orderly succession.
Application: Use these definitions in adjudicating adoption/sonship disputes and determining who may be treated as a son for ritual and inheritance.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Putra-prakarana (Types of sons, adoption and lineage law)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A formal household scene where a remarried woman with a child is acknowledged as paunarbhava, and a ceremonial act of giving a child in adoption (putrī-dattaka) is performed before elders and witnesses.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, interior of a traditional house with oil lamps, elders seated, mother and father presenting a child to another family, palm-leaf documents, muted earth pigments, dignified legal-ritual mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, adoption-giving ceremony with ornate jewelry and textiles, gold-leaf highlights on vessels and ornaments, elders blessing the child, symmetrical composition, rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional depiction of adoption procedure: parties seated in rows, scribe with stylus and palm-leaf, clear gestures of ‘giving’, soft shading, fine linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly domestic legal scene with detailed textiles, a qazi-like arbiter and witnesses, the child being handed over, architectural arches, delicate faces and borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: क्षतायामक्षतायां → क्षतायाम् + अक्षतायाम्; दद्यान्माता → दद्यात् + माता; दत्तको → दत्तकः (before voiced consonant sandhi in recitation).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 255 (Putra-prakaraṇa / putra-bheda sequence)
FAQs
It gives dharma-legal classifications of filiation: defining the paunarbhava son (born of a remarried woman) and the putrī-dattaka category (a son formally given in adoption by mother or father, described under the ‘daughter-given’ adoption type).
Beyond myth and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves dharma-shastra material—precise social-legal taxonomies of sons and adoption—useful for inheritance, lineage continuity, and household law, reflecting its wide-ranging, encyclopedic scope.
By prescribing recognized categories for birth and adoption, it supports dharmic order (varṇa-āśrama household stability) and legitimizes lineage duties like śrāddha and ancestral rites, which are traditionally tied to merit and familial obligation.