Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 16
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
करपाददतो भङ्गे च्छेदने कर्णनासयोः मध्यो दण्डो व्रणोद्भेदे मृतकल्पहते तथा
karapādadato bhaṅge cchedane karṇanāsayoḥ madhyo daṇḍo vraṇodbhede mṛtakalpahate tathā
હાથ, પગ અથવા દાંત તૂટે ત્યારે; કાન કે નાક કાપવામાં આવે ત્યારે; તેમજ ઘા ફાટી ખુલ્લો થાય ત્યારે અને માણસને મૃતસમાન કરી દે તેવી મારામારીમાં—મધ્યમ દંડ નિર્ધારિત છે।
Lord Agni (teaching to the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Supports medico-legal classification of grievous injuries (fractures, amputations of ear/nose, wound bursting, near-fatal assault) to determine ‘middle’ punishment and guide surgical attention.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Madhya-daṇḍa for fractures, ear/nose cutting, wound bursting, and near-fatal assault","lookup_keywords":["bhanga (fracture)","karṇa-nāsā-cchedana","vraṇod-bheda","mṛtakalpa-hata","madhya-daṇḍa"],"quick_summary":"Fractures of hand/foot/teeth, mutilation of ear or nose, reopening/bursting of wounds, and assaults rendering one near-dead are treated as middle-grade offences, bridging medical severity with legal penalty."}
Concept: Bodily wholeness is a protected good; mutilation and life-threatening harm demand escalated sanction.
Application: Courts treat disfigurement and near-fatal harm as grievous; physicians provide injury classification for sentencing and compensation.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda / Shalya-tantra (Surgical and medico-legal injury classification)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A physician-examiner and judge assess grievous injuries: a fractured limb, broken teeth, a severed ear/nose, and a reopened wound; the judge pronounces madhya-daṇḍa.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dramatic yet clinical tableau: healer with bandages and herbs, victim with splinted limb, judge in sabhā; strong reds for wounds, traditional medical implements","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central judge with gold halo-like arch, flanked by healer and injured person; symbolic depiction of ear/nose mutilation and splinted hand/foot; gold embellishments on court pillars","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, technical medico-legal scene: labeled injury types (bhanga, cchedana, vraṇod-bheda), healer demonstrating bandaging and splinting; refined linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court with a hakim presenting injury evidence; detailed portrayal of splints and bandages; subdued palette with precise anatomy cues"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: च्छेदने reflects sandhi from च्छेदने (after preceding word ending in vowel/consonant; written with doubled छ). व्रणोद्भेदे → व्रण + उद्भेदे. मृतकल्पहते → मृत-कल्प-हते.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (sāhasa gradation); Agni Purana (Ayurveda/Śalya-tantra portions on vraṇa and bhagna—chapter numbering varies by recension)
FAQs
It gives a medico-legal grading of bodily injuries (fracture, amputation of ear/nose, bursting of wounds, near-fatal assault) and assigns the corresponding “middle” tier of punishment (madhya-daṇḍa).
By combining practical trauma terminology (vraṇa, bhaṅga, cchedana) with statecraft/legal procedure (daṇḍa), it shows the Agni Purana’s coverage of both Ayurveda (injury science) and governance/justice (punishment gradation).
It frames bodily harm as a punishable adharma: enforcing proportionate penalties is presented as a dharmic duty of rulership, restraining violence and generating social order (dharma) rather than unchecked karma-producing injury.