Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 9
Chapter 226 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharma: Royal Duties and Daṇḍanīti
तथाचाष्टौ इति छ , ज च ताम्रिकैः कार्षिक इत्य् आदिः, साहसः स्मृत इत्य् अन्तः पाठः झ पुस्तके नास्ति यो यावदित्यादिः, तद्द्विगुणं दममित्यन्तः पाठः झ पुस्तके नास्ति वस्त्रादिकस्य धर्मज्ञ तथा धर्मो न हीयते यो निक्षेपं घातयति यश्चानिक्षिप्य याचते
tathācāṣṭau iti cha , ja ca tāmrikaiḥ kārṣika ity ādiḥ, sāhasaḥ smṛta ity antaḥ pāṭhaḥ jha pustake nāsti yo yāvadityādiḥ, taddviguṇaṃ damamityantaḥ pāṭhaḥ jha pustake nāsti vastrādikasya dharmajña tathā dharmo na hīyate yo nikṣepaṃ ghātayati yaścānikṣipya yācate
このように、ある系統（cha・ja）では「八……；銅貨から kārṣika に至る」と読まれるが、結語の「sāhasa（暴行の罪）と宣言される」は jha 写本には見えない。同様に、「誰であれ、その程度に……」に始まり「罰金はその二倍である」に終わる段も jha 写本には欠けている。衣服など同類の物件については、ダルマを知る者がダルマを損なわぬよう裁定すべきである。すなわち、寄託物（nikṣepa）を破壊・改変する者、また寄託せずしてそれを請求する者が処罰対象となる。
Lord Agni (in the Agni Purana’s standard frame, instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Text-critical awareness for legal procedure: recognizing variant readings and ensuring dharma-based adjudication in disputes over deposits and goods like garments.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Variant readings on fines/coin-units and adjudication in nikṣepa disputes","lookup_keywords":["pāṭhabheda","tāmrikā","kārṣika","sāhasa","nikṣepa"],"quick_summary":"Notes manuscript variants affecting fine schedules and classification of wrongdoing. Emphasizes that a dharma-knower should decide carefully in disputes over goods (e.g., garments), punishing deposit-tampering and false claimants."}
Concept: Dharma is preserved by accurate textual knowledge and prudent application; adjudication must prevent dharma-kṣaya even amid variant readings and complex goods valuation.
Application: In legal interpretation, record recensional variants, but decide cases by consistent principles: protect deposits, punish tampering, and deter fraudulent claims.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Dharmaśāstra: civil and criminal law, fines, deposits, contracts)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scholar-judge in a court compares manuscripts/recensions while hearing a deposit dispute about garments; coin units (tāmrikā, kārṣika) are displayed; the judge ensures dharma is not diminished.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, a learned judge holding palm-leaf manuscripts, two bundles labeled as different recensions, coins and cloth laid on a low platform, court attendants in traditional dress, strong outlines and saturated colors","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-highlighted manuscript stand, stylized coins and folded garments, judge with halo-like arch (symbol of dharma), rich ornamentation, frontal composition","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, meticulous depiction of palm-leaf folios, marginal notes, a weighing scale for coins, calm courtroom, emphasis on didactic clarity and fine brushwork","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate courtroom with a qalam-dān-like scribe set, manuscripts open with visible script, textiles spread out, coin piles, nuanced expressions of disputants, floral border"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथाच → तथा + च; कार्षिक इत्यादिः → कार्षिकः + इति + आदिः; स्मृत इत्यन्तः → स्मृतः + इति + अन्तः; तद्द्विगुणं → तत् + द्विगुणम्; दममित्यन्तः → दमम् + इति + अन्तः; यश्चानिक्षिप्य → यः + च + अनिक्षिप्य। (Verse contains extensive critical apparatus; markers छ/ज/झ treated as textual sigla.)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 226 (coin-units/fines; sāhasa; nikṣepa rules)
FAQs
It imparts vyavahāra-vidyā (juridical knowledge): how a dharma-knowing judge should treat disputes over deposited goods (nikṣepa), including penalties for damaging a deposit and for making a false claim without having deposited anything.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance material—currency measures, manuscript legal variants, and rules for courts—showing it functions as a compendium that includes Dharmaśāstra-style civil law and penal assessment.
Protecting entrusted property and preventing fraudulent claims upholds dharma; the verse frames judicial fairness as a religious duty, where maintaining social trust and restitution prevents the decline of dharma and accrues merit through righteous adjudication.