Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 11
Mahāpātaka-ādi-kathana
Account of the Great Sins) — concluding note incl. ‘Mārjāra-vadha’ (killing of a cat
दमने दमने रोधे शकटस्य नियोजने स्तम्भशृङ्खलपाशेषु मृते पादोनमाचरेत्
damane damane rodhe śakaṭasya niyojane stambhaśṛṅkhalapāśeṣu mṛte pādonamācaret
ದಮನ-ಉಪದಮನ, ರೋಧ, ಶಕಟದ ನಿಯೋಜನೆ, ಹಾಗೂ ಸ್ತಂಭ, ಶೃಂಖಲೆ, ಪಾಶ ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ದಂಡಗಳಲ್ಲಿ—ಮರಣ ಸಂಭವಿಸಿದರೆ ಪಾದೋನ (ಒಂದು ಚತುರ್ಥಾಂಶ ಕಡಿತ) ದಂಡ ವಿಧಿಸಬೇಕು.
Lord Agni (narrating Agni Purana’s dharma and governance material)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Determines liability and reduced penalty when death results from coercive restraint measures (taming, confinement, forced cart-yoking, post/chain/noose punishments), guiding rulers/officials in sentencing.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Daṇḍa gradation for coercive restraints causing death (pāda-ūna)","lookup_keywords":["damana","rodha","śakaṭa-niyojana","stambha-śṛṅkhalā-pāśa","pāda-ūna"],"quick_summary":"For specified coercive acts and restraint punishments, if death occurs, the assessed penalty is reduced by one quarter (pāda-ūna), indicating a graded sentencing rule."}
Concept: Daṇḍa must be calibrated even in harsh enforcement; outcomes (including death) affect sentencing through established gradations.
Application: For officials enforcing restraint, follow codified penalty scales and document causality/outcome to avoid arbitrary punishment.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Danda-niti (Penal discipline, restraint, and corrective measures)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A state enforcement scene: officials restrain a person with post, chains, or noose; another vignette shows forced yoking to a cart; a judge records that if death occurs, the penalty is reduced by one quarter.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized royal officers with restraint devices (post, chains, rope), a cart being yoked, a scribe marking 'pāda-ūna' on a palm-leaf, dramatic but controlled composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting: royal court with gold accents, symbolic depiction of chains and post, a cart in side panel, judge indicating fractional reduction, ornate borders framing a legal tableau","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style didactic panels: damana/rodha, śakaṭa-niyojana, stambha-śṛṅkhalā-pāśa; final panel shows 'mṛte pāda-ūnam' as a rule, clear gestures and labels","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: administrative punishment scene with detailed uniforms and architecture, restrained figure near a post, chained custody, cart service vignette, judge and clerk noting reduced penalty"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्तम्भशृङ्खलपाशेषु = स्तम्भ + शृङ्खला + पाशेषु (dvandva); पादोनमाचरेत् = पाद-ऊनम् + आचरेत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana daṇḍa-nīti sections on fractional penalties (pāda, ardha, pāda-ūna); Agni Purana vyavahāra chapters on confinement and coercion
FAQs
It gives a technical rule of danda-niti: if death occurs during restraint measures (confinement, chaining, binding to a post, noosing, or forced cart-labor), the prescribed punishment is to be reduced by one quarter.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana compiles practical statecraft and jurisprudence; this verse is a concrete legal guideline regulating coercive enforcement and proportional penalties.
It frames coercive discipline under dharma by insisting on calibrated, rule-bound punishment—limiting excess and acknowledging moral responsibility when harm (even death) results.