Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 2
Chapter 253 — व्यवहारकथनम्
The Account of Legal Procedure
राज्ञाधमर्णिको दाप्यः साधिताद्दशकं स्मृतम् पञ्चकन्तु शतं दाप्यः प्राप्तार्थो ह्य् उत्तमर्णकः
rājñādhamarṇiko dāpyaḥ sādhitāddaśakaṃ smṛtam pañcakantu śataṃ dāpyaḥ prāptārtho hy uttamarṇakaḥ
Sur l’ordre du roi, le débiteur sera contraint de payer ; il est enseigné que, lors du recouvrement, on doit prélever un dixième. Mais pour cent, on doit payer cinq (c’est-à-dire cinq pour cent), car le créancier a bel et bien obtenu son dû.
Lord Agni (traditionally instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s didactic frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"State-enforced debt recovery with standardized collection charges/fees: defining what portion is taken upon successful recovery and a reduced levy when the creditor has already obtained the principal.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Formula","entry_title":"Royal recovery levy in debt enforcement","lookup_keywords":["raja order","debt recovery fee","dashaka (tenth)","panchaka per shata","vyavahara fines"],"quick_summary":"When the king enforces recovery from a debtor, a standardized levy is applied (a tenth in one stated condition; alternatively five per hundred in another), regulating state costs/penalties around successful collection."}
Concept: Measured danda: enforcement is legitimate but bounded by stated fractions, aligning punishment/fees with proportionality.
Application: Court schedules for enforcement fees; preventing extortion by fixing predictable percentages in state-assisted recovery.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Judicial Procedure, Debts and Fines)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal officer executes a recovery order: debtor pays, creditor receives, and a fixed fraction is set aside as the king’s levy; a scale and counting board show the percentage.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, enforcement scene with royal seal, officer collecting coins, three-part division (creditor share, king’s levy, remainder), stylized numerals and balance scale.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted treasury portion separated from creditor’s pile, king’s insignia on a document, rich ornamentation emphasizing lawful authority.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear didactic depiction of fractions (1/10 and 5/100) beside coin stacks, scribe annotating, calm administrative setting.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, accountants tallying coins, officer holding a sealed order, creditor and debtor seated, precise rendering of coin piles indicating percentages."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: राज्ञा+अधमर्णिकः→राज्ञाधमर्णिको; साधितात्+दशकम्→साधिताद्दशकम्; पञ्चकम्+तु→पञ्चकन्तु; हि+उत्तमर्णकः→ह्युत्तमर्णकः
Related Themes: Agni Purana 253 (debt recovery and debtor handling); Agni Purana 252 (interest and commercial regulation context)
FAQs
It gives a technical rule of debt-recovery under royal enforcement: when the king compels payment, a specified fraction (a ‘tenth’ in one case, and ‘five per hundred’ in another) is assessed as the due charge/levy connected with recovery.
Beyond theology, it preserves practical Rajadharma: procedures of courts, debts, and state exactions—showing the Purana’s coverage of governance and civil law alongside ritual and cosmology.
It frames repayment and lawful enforcement as dharmic order: debts should be settled, coercion is regulated by rule, and the king’s action is bounded by prescribed, non-arbitrary charges—supporting social justice and moral accountability.