Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 39
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
भेषजस्नेहलवणगन्धान्यगुडादिषु पण्येषु प्रक्षिपन् हीनं पणान्दाप्यस्तु षोडश
bheṣajasnehalavaṇagandhānyaguḍādiṣu paṇyeṣu prakṣipan hīnaṃ paṇāndāpyastu ṣoḍaśa
Si quelqu’un falsifie des marchandises—telles que remèdes, huiles/ghee, sel, parfums, jaggery et autres—en y mêlant des substances de qualité inférieure, il devra payer une amende de seize paṇas.
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s didactic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Food-and-drug quality control: penalize adulteration of medicines, fats/oils, salt, perfumes, jaggery, and similar commodities to protect public welfare and trust in trade.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Fine for adulteration of commercial goods (medicines, oils, salt, fragrances, jaggery)","lookup_keywords":["bheṣaja","sneha","lavaṇa","gandha","guḍa"],"quick_summary":"Mixing inferior substances into key market goods—especially medicines and consumables—incurs a fine of 16 paṇas. The rule functions as an early standard against adulteration."}
Concept: Ahimsā through commerce: adulteration harms bodies and violates satya and dayā in livelihood.
Application: Establish inspection of apothecaries and grocers; enforce fines and public notice to deter repeat offenders.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Law, Trade, and Penalties)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A marketplace apothecary is caught mixing inferior powder into medicine; jars of ghee/oil, salt sacks, perfume vials, and jaggery blocks are displayed as an inspector levies a 16-paṇa fine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, stylized apothecary stall with labeled jars (bheṣaja), oil pot (sneha), salt heap (lavaṇa), perfume flasks (gandha), jaggery blocks (guḍa), official pointing to adulterated mixture, scribe with palm-leaf ledger.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold accents on vessels and coins, central figure of royal officer receiving fine, foreground merchant with mixing bowl, ornate borders, rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean didactic composition: ingredients laid out, adulteration act shown clearly, inspector sealing a jar, fine amount indicated by coin stack.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed shop interior with shelves of jars and perfumes, merchant mid-act of mixing, official and scribe documenting, fine coins rendered with precision, architectural niche background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भेषजस्नेहलवणगन्धान् → भेषज-स्नेह-लवण-गन्धान् (dvandva); गन्धान्यगुडादिषु → गन्धान् + अगुड-आदिषु; पणान्दाप्यस्तु → पणान् + दाप्यः + तु
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (trade offences: adulteration and fines)
FAQs
It gives a rule of commercial law: adulterating key commodities (medicines, oils/ghee, salt, perfumes, jaggery) with inferior admixtures incurs a fixed monetary fine of sixteen paṇas.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance material—market regulation, consumer protection, and standardized penalties—showing its coverage of dharma in everyday economic life.
Adulteration is treated as adharma because it harms others and corrupts honest exchange; the fine functions as social expiation and deterrence, supporting righteous livelihood (dharma) in the community.