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
Pour les délinquants de rang inférieur, la peine doit être réduite de moitié ; pour les fautes impliquant l’épouse d’un autre homme et pour ceux de rang supérieur, elle doit être doublée. L’application du châtiment se fixe selon le statut de varṇa du coupable et de la victime, par degrés de supérieur et d’inférieur.
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.