Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 11
Chapter 154: विवाहः
Vivāha — Marriage
शुल्केन चासुरो मन्दो गान्धर्वो वरणान्मिथः राक्षसो युद्धहरणात् पैशाचः कन्यकाच्छलात्
śulkena cāsuro mando gāndharvo varaṇānmithaḥ rākṣaso yuddhaharaṇāt paiśācaḥ kanyakācchalāt
जहाँ कन्या का दान शुल्क (वधूमूल्य) लेकर किया जाए, वह आसुर विवाह है; जहाँ दोनों का परस्पर वरण हो, वह गान्धर्व है; युद्ध के बीच बलपूर्वक हरण से राक्षस है; और छल से कन्या प्राप्त हो तो पैशाच कहलाता है।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Classifying marriage forms for legal/ritual validity, inheritance, consent, and adjudication of disputes involving bride-price, abduction, or deception.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Asura–Gandharva–Rakshasa–Paishacha Vivaha (Marriage Types)","lookup_keywords":["vivaha-bheda","asura-vivaha","gandharva-vivaha","rakshasa-vivaha","paishacha-vivaha"],"quick_summary":"Defines four marriage types by their operative cause—bride-price, mutual choice, forcible abduction in battle, and deceit. Useful for dharma-legal assessment of consent and culpability."}
Concept: Dharma distinguishes unions by consent and means; coercion/deception degrade legitimacy and generate adharma and liability.
Application: Use the classification to guide family elders, priests, and judges in deciding permissibility, penance, and social/legal consequences.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Law, social order, and classifications of offenses)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Four vignette panels: (1) bride-price exchange (Asura), (2) lovers choosing each other with garlands (Gandharva), (3) armed men carrying off a maiden amid battle (Rakshasa), (4) a deceitful seduction/abduction in a secluded place (Paishacha).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural, four-register narrative of vivaha types, flat warm palette, ornate jewelry, expressive eyes; include a dharma-judge figure holding palm-leaf manuscript labeling Asura/Gandharva/Rakshasa/Paishacha.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf borders, four framed scenes; emphasize ritual objects (coins, garlands) and dramatic Rakshasa abduction; rich reds and greens, embossed ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional plate, clean linework, captions in Devanagari for each vivaha type, balanced composition showing cause-based distinctions (śulka, varaṇa, yuddha-haraṇa, chhala).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature split into four cartouches, fine detailing of costumes and courtly setting for Asura/Gandharva, dynamic battle scene for Rakshasa, shadowed interior for Paishacha; marginal notes like a legal manual illustration."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: cāsuro = ca + āsuraḥ; varaṇānmithaḥ = varaṇāt + mithaḥ (final -t before m-); yuddhaharaṇāt = yuddha + haraṇāt (compound); kanyakācchalāt = kanyakā + chalāt (ā + ch → ācch).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 154 (Rajadharma & Vyavahara: marriage, offenses, and classifications)
FAQs
It imparts Dharmaśāstra-style technical classification (vyavahāra-vidyā) of four marriage/union types based on the means of obtaining the bride: payment (śulka), mutual choice, forcible abduction in battle, and deceit.
Alongside rituals and theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical socio-legal taxonomies—here, a concise legal-ethical typology of marriages that overlaps with broader Dharma literature, showing its compendium character.
By distinguishing consensual versus coercive/deceptive unions, the verse implicitly ranks conduct: force and fraud increase demerit (pāpa) and social fault, while mutual choice is comparatively less blameworthy within the traditional framework.