Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 14
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
पादकेशांशुककरोल्लुञ्चनेषु पणान् दश पीडाकर्षां शुकावेष्टपादाध्यासे शतन्दमः
pādakeśāṃśukakarolluñcaneṣu paṇān daśa pīḍākarṣāṃ śukāveṣṭapādādhyāse śatandamaḥ
पैर, केश, वस्त्र या हाथ को खींचने/नोचने में दस पण का दण्ड है। पीड़ा देकर घसीटने में तथा कपड़े में लपेटकर पैरों से रौंदने में सौ (पण) का दण्ड है।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s rājadharma/daṇḍanīti section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Provides a tariff of fines for specific humiliating/violent acts (pulling hair/garment/hand, dragging, wrapping and trampling), enabling consistent sentencing and victim compensation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Fines for pulling, dragging, and trampling offences","lookup_keywords":["keśa-ulluñcana","aṃśuka-ulluñcana","kara-ulluñcana","pīḍākarṣaṇa (dragging)","śukāveṣṭa-pādādhyāsa"],"quick_summary":"Minor assaults like pulling hair/garment/hand incur ten paṇas; aggravated acts causing pain by dragging or wrapping and trampling incur a heavier fine of one hundred paṇas."}
Concept: Dharma protects bodily integrity and dignity; penalties scale with cruelty and degradation.
Application: Judges treat humiliating violence (dragging/trampling) as aggravated, warranting higher fines to deter escalation.
Khanda Section: Rājadharma / Vyavahāra (Penal law: fines and corporal punishment)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A legal illustration of different assault acts: hair/garment pulling, then a more severe scene of dragging and trampling; the judge indicates ten vs one hundred paṇas.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split-panel narrative: left shows hair/cloth pulling in a street; right shows dragging and trampling; a royal officer records fines; bold outlines, traditional costumes","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, two-register composition with gold borders: minor pulling offence above, aggravated dragging/trampling below; judge and coin piles labeled 10 and 100 paṇas; rich ornamentation","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic sequence with captions: keśa/āṃśuka/karol-luñcana, then pīḍākarṣaṇa and cloth-wrapping trampling; clean linework and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling bazaar quarrel scene transitioning to a harsher assault; court clerk tallying fines; intricate textiles and architectural backdrop"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: करोल्लुञ्चनेषु → कर + उल्लुञ्चनेषु. शतन्दमः → शतम् + दमः. Compound interpretations follow legal-context enumerations; some items denote named acts/tortures.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (assault categories; fine schedules)
FAQs
It gives daṇḍanīti (penal jurisprudence): specific fines (10 and 100 paṇas) for bodily harassment such as pulling hair/cloth/hand/foot, dragging someone painfully, and humiliating trampling after wrapping in cloth.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical governance rules—graded punishments for defined offenses—showing it functions as a compendium that includes public order, legal norms, and administrative ethics.
By prescribing proportional penalties for cruelty and humiliation, it frames such acts as adharma that generate negative karma, while lawful punishment is presented as a dharmic means to restrain harm and protect social wellbeing.