Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 11
Chapter 154: विवाहः
Vivāha — Marriage
शुल्केन चासुरो मन्दो गान्धर्वो वरणान्मिथः राक्षसो युद्धहरणात् पैशाचः कन्यकाच्छलात्
śulkena cāsuro mando gāndharvo varaṇānmithaḥ rākṣaso yuddhaharaṇāt paiśācaḥ kanyakācchalāt
കന്യാദാനം ശുല്കം (വധൂമൂല്യം) വാങ്ങി നടത്തുന്നതു ആസുരവിവാഹം; ഇരുവരുടെയും പരസ്പരവരണത്തിൽ ഗന്ധർവം; യുദ്ധത്തിനിടയിൽ ബലമായി അപഹരിക്കുന്നത് രാക്ഷസം; വഞ്ചനയാൽ കന്യയെ നേടുന്നത് പൈശാചം എന്നു പറയുന്നു।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Classifying marriage forms for legal/ritual validity, inheritance, consent, and adjudication of disputes involving bride-price, abduction, or deception.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Asura–Gandharva–Rakshasa–Paishacha Vivaha (Marriage Types)","lookup_keywords":["vivaha-bheda","asura-vivaha","gandharva-vivaha","rakshasa-vivaha","paishacha-vivaha"],"quick_summary":"Defines four marriage types by their operative cause—bride-price, mutual choice, forcible abduction in battle, and deceit. Useful for dharma-legal assessment of consent and culpability."}
Concept: Dharma distinguishes unions by consent and means; coercion/deception degrade legitimacy and generate adharma and liability.
Application: Use the classification to guide family elders, priests, and judges in deciding permissibility, penance, and social/legal consequences.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Law, social order, and classifications of offenses)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Four vignette panels: (1) bride-price exchange (Asura), (2) lovers choosing each other with garlands (Gandharva), (3) armed men carrying off a maiden amid battle (Rakshasa), (4) a deceitful seduction/abduction in a secluded place (Paishacha).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural, four-register narrative of vivaha types, flat warm palette, ornate jewelry, expressive eyes; include a dharma-judge figure holding palm-leaf manuscript labeling Asura/Gandharva/Rakshasa/Paishacha.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf borders, four framed scenes; emphasize ritual objects (coins, garlands) and dramatic Rakshasa abduction; rich reds and greens, embossed ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional plate, clean linework, captions in Devanagari for each vivaha type, balanced composition showing cause-based distinctions (śulka, varaṇa, yuddha-haraṇa, chhala).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature split into four cartouches, fine detailing of costumes and courtly setting for Asura/Gandharva, dynamic battle scene for Rakshasa, shadowed interior for Paishacha; marginal notes like a legal manual illustration."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: cāsuro = ca + āsuraḥ; varaṇānmithaḥ = varaṇāt + mithaḥ (final -t before m-); yuddhaharaṇāt = yuddha + haraṇāt (compound); kanyakācchalāt = kanyakā + chalāt (ā + ch → ācch).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 154 (Rajadharma & Vyavahara: marriage, offenses, and classifications)
FAQs
It imparts Dharmaśāstra-style technical classification (vyavahāra-vidyā) of four marriage/union types based on the means of obtaining the bride: payment (śulka), mutual choice, forcible abduction in battle, and deceit.
Alongside rituals and theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical socio-legal taxonomies—here, a concise legal-ethical typology of marriages that overlaps with broader Dharma literature, showing its compendium character.
By distinguishing consensual versus coercive/deceptive unions, the verse implicitly ranks conduct: force and fraud increase demerit (pāpa) and social fault, while mutual choice is comparatively less blameworthy within the traditional framework.