Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 17
Chapter 253 — व्यवहारकथनम्
The Account of Legal Procedure
स्वसन्ततिस्त्रीपशव्यं धान्यं द्विगुणमेव च वस्त्रं चतुर्गुणं प्रोक्तं रसश्चाष्टगुणस् तथा
svasantatistrīpaśavyaṃ dhānyaṃ dviguṇameva ca vastraṃ caturguṇaṃ proktaṃ rasaścāṣṭaguṇas tathā
ಸ್ವಸಂತತಿ, ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯರು ಮತ್ತು ಪಶುಗಳ ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಧಾನ್ಯವನ್ನು ದ್ವಿಗುಣವಾಗಿ ವಿಧಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ; ವಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಚತುರ್ಗುಣವೆಂದು ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿದೆ; ಹಾಗೂ ಘೃತಾದಿ ರಸದ್ರವ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಅಷ್ಟಗುಣವೆಂದು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟಪಡಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the usual Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Rule-of-thumb multipliers for prescribed giving/compensation in specified categories (grain, cloth, liquids), useful for administrators setting standardized dues, gifts, or restitution scales.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Multipliers for grain, cloth, and liquid essences in prescribed disposition","lookup_keywords":["dviguṇa","caturguṇa","aṣṭaguṇa","dhānya","vastra-rasa"],"quick_summary":"The verse states standard multipliers: grain is doubled, cloth is fourfold, and liquid essences (e.g., ghee) are eightfold, in the context of regulated disposition connected with family/progeny, women, and livestock."}
Concept: Dharma operationalized through measurable standards (māna-pramāṇa) for distribution/compensation, reflecting graded value of commodities.
Application: Use multipliers as administrative norms in dāna, fines, or restitution schedules where the tradition prescribes enhanced quantities.
Khanda Section: Rājadharma & Dāna-vidhi (Gifts, inheritance, and prescribed multipliers)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A steward measures out offerings: two measures of grain, four folded cloth bundles, and eight small vessels of ghee/liquid essence, arranged before a household scene with women, children, and livestock in the background indicating the contextual categories.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized granary and measuring pots, two grain measures, four cloth bundles, eight ghee vessels, background with cow and calf, women and children, warm earthy palette and clear outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-highlighted vessels of ghee, richly patterned textiles in four stacks, grain in two heaps, auspicious household setting with cow, ornate borders and devotional prosperity tone","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with neat counting (2-4-8) shown by grouped items, fine linework on textiles and vessels, calm instructional composition","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed still-life of commodities—grain sacks, folded cloth, small brass ghee pots—accountant tallying, domestic courtyard with livestock, delicate shading"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्वसन्ततिस्त्रीपशव्यं is taken as समाहार-द्वन्द्व (list in one collective); रसश्चाष्टगुणस् → रसः च अष्टगुणः; अष्टगुणस् तथा → अष्टगुणः तथा (visarga before t).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 253 (dāna-vidhi and multipliers)
FAQs
It gives a technical rule of proportion (guṇa-māna): how many times the base measure should be increased when giving/allocating key commodities—grain (2×), cloth (4×), and liquid essences like ghee (8×)—in the context of dharmic prescriptions.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves practical normative guidance resembling Dharmaśāstra—quantified standards for gifts/household provisioning—showing its wide scope across ethics, economy, and social duty.
Following prescribed measures in giving and support is treated as dharmic correctness (yathā-vidhi), which safeguards merit (puṇya) by aligning charity and household obligation with scriptural proportion rather than arbitrary giving.