Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 23
Chapter 253 — व्यवहारकथनम्
The Account of Legal Procedure
तत्कालकृतमूल्यो वा तत्र तिष्ठेदवृद्धिकः प्रतिभाव्यमृणं साक्ष्यमविभक्तेन तत् स्मृतमिति ख , ग , घ , छ , ज , ट च विना धारणकाद्वापि विक्रीणीते ससाक्षिकम्
tatkālakṛtamūlyo vā tatra tiṣṭhedavṛddhikaḥ pratibhāvyamṛṇaṃ sākṣyamavibhaktena tat smṛtamiti kha , ga , gha , cha , ja , ṭa ca vinā dhāraṇakādvāpi vikrīṇīte sasākṣikam
અથવા તે જ સમયના મૂલ્ય મુજબ ભાવ નક્કી કરીને, ત્યાં વૃદ્ધિ (વ્યાજ) વિના રહેવું. જામીનથી સુરક્ષિત ઋણ અને અવಿಭક્ત સહ-માલિકનું સાક્ષ્ય (સ્વતંત્ર સાક્ષ્ય નથી)—આ રીતે સ્મૃતિમાં કહેવાયું છે. (ખ, ગ, ઘ, છ, જ, ટ પાઠોમાં) લખિત દસ્તાવેજ વિના પણ સાક્ષીઓની હાજરીમાં વેચાણ સિદ્ધ થાય છે એમ પણ જણાવાયું છે।
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s dharma/vyavahāra section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Commercial/legal practice: fixing contemporaneous price, interest-free holding terms, rules on surety-backed debts and witness competence, and validity of unwritten sales with witnesses.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Contemporaneous Valuation, Interest-Free Holding, Surety Debt, Witness Competence, and Witnessed Sale Without Writing","lookup_keywords":["tatkala mulya","avṛddhika","pratibhavya rina","witness competence","sale without document"],"quick_summary":"Set price by current value and proceed without interest where prescribed; recognize surety-secured debts; restrict testimony of undivided co-sharers as independent witnesses; and accept sales without written deeds if witnessed."}
Concept: Pramana (valid means) in transactions: fair valuation, proper security, competent witnessing, and socially verifiable sales.
Application: For contracts: record current market value; decide when interest is barred; ensure surety terms; choose independent witnesses; validate oral/witnessed sales where writing is absent.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Dharmaśāstra / Legal Procedure and Civil Law)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A marketplace-court: a clerk fixes 'current price' on a tablet; parties agree to an interest-free term; a surety stands beside the debtor; the judge rejects a co-sharer as witness; a sale is concluded orally before multiple witnesses without a written deed.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: bazaar and court blended—scribe marking tatkala-mulya on palm leaf, surety figure with hand raised in guarantee, judge indicating 'not competent witness' to an undivided co-sharer, group of witnesses validating an unwritten sale; traditional palette and stylized crowd","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-ornamented market pillars, highlighted price tablet and witness circle; surety shown with prominent gesture; unwritten sale emphasized by absence of scroll but presence of witnesses; rich gold borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional sequence panels—(1) valuation, (2) avṛddhika agreement, (3) surety-backed debt, (4) witness qualification, (5) witnessed sale without writing; clean composition and legible gestures","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed market scene with textiles and coins, qazi-like judge, scribe with ledger, surety in distinct attire, witnesses in a semicircle; subtle emphasis on oral contract and evidentiary roles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"analytical","suggested_raga":"Khamas","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्कालकृतमूल्यो = तत्-काल-कृत-मूल्यः; तिष्ठेदवृद्धिकः = तिष्ठेत् + अवृद्धिकः; प्रतिभाव्यमृणं = प्रतिभाव्य-मृणम्; साक्ष्यमविभक्तेन = साक्ष्यम् + अविभक्तेन; स्मृतमिति = स्मृतम् + इति; धारणकाद्वापि = धारणकात् + वा + अपि. The sequence “ख, ग, घ, छ, ज, ट” treated as manuscript/edition markers (avyaya-like tokens).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 253 (evidence, surety, sale, pledge procedures)
FAQs
It imparts vyavahāra-vidyā (legal procedure): rules on fixing contemporaneous price, avoiding interest (avṛddhi), the role of surety (pratibhū) in debt, and the requirement/quality of witnesses—including that an undivided co-sharer is not treated as an independent witness.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical civil-law norms—debt security, evidentiary standards, and contract formation (including sales validated by witnesses even without a written deed)—showing its wide-ranging, handbook-like coverage of governance and jurisprudence.
By prescribing fair valuation, restraint from exploitative interest, and reliable proof through proper witnesses, the verse supports dharma in commerce—reducing deceit and harm, and aligning economic dealings with righteous conduct that yields wholesome karmic outcomes.