Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 39
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
अपमानात्तथा क्रोधात् स्नेहात्परिभवाद्भयात् उद्बध्य म्रियते नारी पुरुषो वा कथञ्चन
apamānāttathā krodhāt snehātparibhavādbhayāt udbadhya mriyate nārī puruṣo vā kathañcana
અપમાન, ક્રોધ, આસક્તિ, પરિભવ અને ભયના કારણે સ્ત્રી કે પુરુષ કોઈ રીતે ફાંસો ખાઈ (ગળું દબાવી) મૃત્યુ પામી શકે છે।
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purana’s primary narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Recognizing proximate psychological causes leading to self-harm (hanging) for ethical counsel, social regulation, and adjudication of death circumstances.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Psychological triggers leading to death by hanging (udbandha)","lookup_keywords":["apamāna","krodha","sneha","paribhava","bhaya"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists humiliation, anger, attachment, insult, and fear as drivers that can lead either women or men to die by hanging—useful as a diagnostic of motive in ethical and social contexts."}
Concept: Inner afflictions (krodha, bhaya, apamāna) can precipitate adharma-like self-destruction; social ethics must address causes, not only acts.
Application: Guidance for rulers/elders to reduce public shaming, intimidation, and abusive insult; and for counselors to watch these triggers as risk factors.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Niti (Ethics, Social Conduct, and Human Psychology)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A domestic/courtly scene showing a person overwhelmed by humiliation, anger, attachment, insult, and fear—depicted as five symbolic forces—leading toward a noose, emphasizing psychological causation rather than spectacle.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized human figure surrounded by five personified emotions (apamāna, krodha, sneha, paribhava, bhaya) as small attendant spirits, restrained depiction of a hanging rope in the background, somber palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, symbolic composition with five labeled motifs around the central figure (broken garland for insult, flame for anger, chain for attachment, shadow for fear, lowered crown for humiliation), gold accents, moralizing tone","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic panel layout: five causes on top as vignettes, bottom shows the consequence (udbandha) only as an implied rope and stool, fine lines, instructional clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, interior scene with detailed textiles and architecture, protagonist in distress, subtle inclusion of a noose hanging from a beam, expressive faces, narrative realism without gore"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: apamānāttathā = apamānāt + tathā; snehātparibhavādbhayāt = snehāt + paribhavāt + bhayāt.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158.40 (consequence of ātmaghāta)
FAQs
It imparts niti-vidya (practical ethical instruction) by identifying key mental and social triggers—humiliation, anger, attachment, insult, and fear—that can drive a person toward self-strangulation, serving as a caution for prevention and restraint.
Beyond rituals and theology, the Agni Purana includes governance and ethics; this verse functions like a concise social-psychological observation within Rajadharma/Niti, showing the text’s wide-ranging coverage of human conduct and societal harms.
The verse warns that uncontrolled passions and social dishonor can lead to self-destruction; spiritually, it underscores the need for self-control (dama) and steadiness of mind to avoid grievous, dharma-opposed actions and their negative karmic consequences.