Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 75
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
अभक्षैर् दूषयन् विप्रं दण्ड उत्तमसाहसम् कूटस्वर्णव्यवहारी विमांसस्य च विक्रयी
abhakṣair dūṣayan vipraṃ daṇḍa uttamasāhasam kūṭasvarṇavyavahārī vimāṃsasya ca vikrayī
जो निषिद्ध आहारों से ब्राह्मण को दूषित करे, उसे ‘उत्तमसाहस’ नामक दण्ड होता है। वैसे ही कूट-स्वर्ण का व्यवहार करने वाला और (अधर्मतः) मांस बेचने वाला भी।
Lord Agni (in instruction on rajadharma/vyavahara)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Legal classification of high offences: ritual/social defilement of a Brahmin via prohibited foods, economic fraud (counterfeit gold), and unlawful meat trade—each attracting the highest sāhasa penalty.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Acts incurring ‘uttama-sāhasa’ (highest violent/fraud penalty)","lookup_keywords":["abhakshya","vipra-dushana","kuta-svarna","vyavahara","mamsa-vikraya"],"quick_summary":"Defiling a Brahmin with forbidden food, trading counterfeit gold, and unlawful meat-selling are grouped as grave offences punished with the highest sāhasa fine/penalty."}
Concept: Protection of varṇa-āśrama norms and economic trust: ritual injury and monetary falsification are treated as high harms to society.
Application: Regulate markets (assay gold), supervise slaughter/meat trade per law, and prosecute deliberate ‘defilement’ acts as aggravated offences.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Dharma-shastra: offences and punishments)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Three vignettes: (1) a person deceitfully offers forbidden food to a Brahmin; (2) a goldsmith passes counterfeit gold; (3) a butcher sells meat illicitly—then all are judged in court under ‘uttama-sāhasa’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, triptych narrative with clear iconographic cues: Brahmin with sacred thread refusing food, goldsmith with scales and yellow metal, butcher stall; final court scene with king and guards.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold leaf used to highlight genuine vs counterfeit gold, ornate court setting, Brahmin figure dignified, strong moral contrast in composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional market scenes: weighing scales, touchstone testing, meat stall; captions implied by arrangement; subdued palette and fine outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling bazaar with assayer, gold coins, and butcher shop; then a court hearing with detailed textiles and expressive gestures."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अभक्षैर् = अभक्षैः (visarga before d-); उत्तमसाहसम् = उत्तम-साहसम्; कूटस्वर्णव्यवहारी = कूट-स्वर्ण-व्यवहारी.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (Vyavahara: fines, sāhasa gradations, market offences)
FAQs
It specifies a dharma-legal classification of punishment: certain acts—polluting a Brahmin with forbidden food, trading counterfeit gold, and illicit meat-selling—are assigned the severe ‘uttama-sāhasa’ penalty.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves governance and jurisprudence: it catalogs civil/penal offences (food-pollution, commercial fraud) and links them to graded punishments, functioning like a compact dharma-shastra manual.
The verse frames these acts as serious adharma: harming a Brahmin’s ritual purity and corrupting honest commerce generate heavy demerit, hence the text prescribes strong penalties to deter sin and protect social order (dharma).