Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 3
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
अर्धो ऽधमेषु द्विगुणः परस्त्रीषूत्तमेषु च दण्डप्रणयनं कार्यं वर्णजात्युत्तराधरैः
ardho 'dhameṣu dviguṇaḥ parastrīṣūttameṣu ca daṇḍapraṇayanaṃ kāryaṃ varṇajātyuttarādharaiḥ
Para los infractores de condición inferior, la pena debe ser la mitad; en las faltas que impliquen a la esposa de otro hombre y en los de condición superior, debe duplicarse. La imposición del castigo ha de determinarse según el rango de varṇa del culpable y de la víctima, en gradaciones de superior e inferior.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purāṇa’s standard narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Guiding a ruler/judge in calibrating fines and corporal/monetary punishments by social rank, victim-status, and aggravating factors (e.g., adultery).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Graduated Punishment by Varna-Status and Offence Gravity","lookup_keywords":["danda-pranayana","varna-taratamya","parastrigamana","ardha-danda","dviguna-danda"],"quick_summary":"Punishment is scaled: reduced for lower-status offenders in certain contexts, and doubled for offences involving another’s wife or higher-status parties; the judge applies a graded hierarchy of varna and circumstance."}
Concept: Danda as a regulator of social order, applied with graded proportionality (taratamya) based on status and offence severity.
Application: Court sentencing: treat adultery and higher-status implications as aggravating; apply mitigation where the text prescribes reduction.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Dharma-shastra / Legal Penology)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court where the king-judge consults a dharmaśāstra scroll while scribes record a sentence; two disputants stand, one accused of an offence involving another’s wife; scales or tally-sticks symbolize graded fines.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat warm palette, ornate court pavilion, king seated on simhasana with palm-leaf manuscript, attendants with olai, accused and complainant in profile, symbolic balance showing half and double fines, traditional jewelry and textiles.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf throne and arch, king as dharmaraja holding manuscript, richly ornamented figures, inset motifs of ‘half’ and ‘double’ fine as coin stacks, deep reds and greens, embossed gold detailing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean linework and soft shading, instructional court tableau with labeled coin piles (ardha/dviguna), judge pointing to a written code, calm didactic mood.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed durbar scene, patterned carpets, clerks with ledgers, subtle facial expressions, coin trays showing half and double amounts, architectural depth and fine borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ardho 'dhameṣu = ardhaḥ + adhameṣu; parastrīṣūttameṣu = para-strīṣu + uttameṣu; varṇajātyuttarādharaiḥ = varṇa-jāti-uttara-adharaiḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (Rajadharma & Vyavahara: danda-niti context)
FAQs
It teaches daṇḍanīti (penology): punishments are scaled—reduced for lower-status cases, doubled for adultery (parastrī) and higher-status cases—while considering relative varṇa/jāti gradations.
Beyond ritual and mythology, the Agni Purāṇa also preserves practical governance material—judicial principles on fines and sentencing—showing its dharma-legal and administrative scope.
By prescribing proportionate punishment, it frames justice as a dharmic corrective: wrongdoing (especially violating another’s marriage) accrues heavier demerit and demands stronger restraint to restore social and moral order.