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
ໃນກໍລະນີການຝຶກປະລາບແລະການກົດຂີ່, ການກັກຂັງ, ການນຳລົດເກວຽນໄປໃຊ້ງານ, ແລະການລົງໂທດດ້ວຍເສົາ, ໂຊ່, ຫຼືບ່ວງເຊືອກ—ຖ້າເກີດການຕາຍ ຄວນກຳນົດໂທດໃຫ້ຫຼຸດລົງໜຶ່ງສ່ວນສີ່.
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.