Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 59
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
चौरं प्रदाप्यापहृतं घातयेद्विविधैर् बुधैः सचिह्नं ब्राह्मणं कृत्वा स्वराष्ट्राद्विप्रवासयेत्
cauraṃ pradāpyāpahṛtaṃ ghātayedvividhair budhaiḥ sacihnaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ kṛtvā svarāṣṭrādvipravāsayet
ក្រោយពីបង្ខំឲ្យចោរសងទ្រព្យដែលបានលួចវិញ អ្នកប្រាជ្ញគួរប្រហារជីវិតគាត់ដោយវិធីពីរដែលបានកំណត់។ ប៉ុន្តែបើជនល្មើសជាព្រះព្រាហ្មណ៍ ត្រូវដាក់សញ្ញាម៉ាកលើខ្លួន ហើយបណ្តេញចេញពីដែនរាជ្យរបស់ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ។
Lord Agni (instructing Vasiṣṭha on rāja-dharma)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Sentencing rules for theft: restitution first; capital punishment for severe theft; special dispensation for Brahmin offenders via branding and exile.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Theft Punishment: Restitution, Execution, and Brahmin Exception (Branding & Exile)","lookup_keywords":["chora","pradapya (compel to repay)","ghatana (execution)","brahmana-aparadha","chihna (branding)"],"quick_summary":"The thief must restore stolen goods; then the state may impose death by prescribed methods, but a Brahmin offender is marked (branded) and expelled rather than executed."}
Concept: Danda is calibrated by social-legal categories; restitution is mandatory, while penal severity may vary by status norms.
Application: In governance design, distinguish compensatory justice (repayment) from punitive justice; encode exceptional penalties where the legal tradition mandates them.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Dandaniti and Vyavahara—law, punishment, and governance)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"After repayment, the thief is sentenced; execution is ordered for a common offender, while a Brahmin offender is branded with a mark and escorted beyond the border for exile.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: split narrative panel—left: thief returning a pot of coins; right: guards with spear escort a branded Brahmin past a boundary marker; strong outlines, symbolic gestures, minimal gore.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: king with gold halo-like arch, decree gesture; branded mark shown on shoulder; attendants holding a document of exile; rich gold work, stylized figures, emphasis on royal authority.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: procedural depiction with two outcomes—execution order for thief and branding/exile for Brahmin; fine linework, calm didactic tone, clear boundary pillar labeled as realm border.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: court scene with restitution, then a procession leaving the city gate; the branded offender rides or walks under guard; architectural city gate and border milestone rendered in detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रदाप्यापहृतम् = प्रदाप्य + अपहृतम्; घातयेद्विविधैः = घातयेत् + विविधैः; स्वराष्ट्राद्विप्रवासयेत् = स्वराष्ट्रात् + विप्रवासयेत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (danda gradations; theft and offender categories)
FAQs
It gives a rāja-dharma rule of criminal procedure: restitution of stolen property, state-imposed execution for thieves, and an alternative sanction for a Brāhmaṇa—branding and banishment.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical governance material—penal policy, social categories, and graded punishments—showing it functions as a compendium of dharma, law, and administration.
It frames punishment as dharmic statecraft: restoring what was taken and removing the offender from society is presented as maintaining rta/dharma, limiting further sin and social disorder.