Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 10
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
भस्मपङ्करजःस्पर्शे दण्डो दशपणः स्मृतः अमेध्यपार्ष्णिनिष्ठ्यूतस्पर्शने द्विगुणः स्मृतः
bhasmapaṅkarajaḥsparśe daṇḍo daśapaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ amedhyapārṣṇiniṣṭhyūtasparśane dviguṇaḥ smṛtaḥ
ભસ્મ, કાદવ અથવા ધૂળ સ્પર્શ કરવાથી દસ પણનો દંડ સ્મૃત છે. અને અમેધ્ય (અપવિત્ર)—જેમ કે મલિન એડી અથવા થૂંક—સ્પર્શ કરવાથી દંડ દ્વિગુણ કહેવાયો છે.
Lord Agni (teaching traditional dharma-legal standards to the inquirer, classically Vasiṣṭha in Agni Purana’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Municipal/ritual hygiene enforcement through graded fines for contact with dirty or impure substances, supporting public cleanliness and social discipline.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Fines for Contact with Dirt and Impurity (Bhāṣma/Paṅka/Rajas; Ameḍhya/Niṣṭhyūta)","lookup_keywords":["daṇḍa","daśa-paṇa","bhāṣma","paṅka","niṣṭhyūta"],"quick_summary":"Touching ash, mud, or dust incurs a 10-paṇa fine; touching impure substances like filth-smeared heel or spittle incurs double, reflecting a graded impurity scale in civic discipline."}
Concept: Śauca (purity/cleanliness) as enforceable social duty; daṇḍa as a tool to protect communal well-being.
Application: Use proportional penalties to discourage unhygienic conduct in shared spaces (markets, courts, temples, assemblies).
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Danda-vidhi / Legal penalties and impurity-contact fines)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A city officer assesses a fine as a person carelessly touches mud/ash and another spits in a public place; a ledger shows 10 paṇas and 20 paṇas for the graver impurity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, street-and-court vignette: officer with palm-leaf ledger; one figure with dusty hands (rajas), another with spittle (niṣṭhyūta) shown symbolically; bold outlines, earthy tones.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold detailing on the officer’s insignia and coin pile; two small narrative compartments labeled ‘daśa-paṇa’ and ‘dviguṇa’; ornamental borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional cleanliness scene: clear depiction of substances (ash heap, mud puddle, dust cloud) and a coin-counting scribe; emphasis on numeric fines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bazaar setting with municipal official; careful rendering of coins and ledger; subtle depiction of spitting and the official’s reprimand."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: रजःस्पर्शे = रजः-спर्शे (visarga before s); अमेध्यपार्ष्णिनिष्ठ्यूतस्पर्शने = अमेध्य-पार्ष्णि-निष्ठ्यूत-спर्शने (समास).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (daṇḍa-vyavasthā; śauca-related offences)
FAQs
It specifies graded monetary fines (daṇḍa in paṇas) for physical contact with substances considered dirty or ritually polluting, distinguishing ordinary grime (ash/mud/dust) from explicitly impure matter (amedhya such as spittle).
Beyond mythology, it preserves practical rajadharma/vyavahāra material—administrative rules and civic penalties—showing the Purana’s role as a compendium of governance, social order, and normative conduct.
By discouraging contact with polluting substances through enforceable penalties, it supports external and internal purity (śauca), which dharma texts treat as conducive to ritual fitness and reduced karmic taint from negligent conduct.