Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 6
Chapter 231 — शकुनानि (Śakunāni) | Omens in Governance, Travel, and War
यच्चैवोपनयेद् द्रव्यं तस्य लब्धिं विनिर्दिशेत् द्रव्यं वापनयेद्यत्तु तस्य हानिं विनिर्दिशेत्
yaccaivopanayed dravyaṃ tasya labdhiṃ vinirdiśet dravyaṃ vāpanayedyattu tasya hāniṃ vinirdiśet
ഒരു വ്യക്തി സ്വയം കൊണ്ടുവന്ന് സമർപ്പിക്കുന്ന ദ്രവ്യം അവന്റെ ലാഭമായി നിർണ്ണയിക്കണം. എന്നാൽ അവൻ നീക്കിപ്പോകാൻ ഇടയാക്കുന്നതോ അപഹരിപ്പിക്കുന്നതോ ആയ ദ്രവ്യം അവന്റെ നഷ്ടമായി നിർണ്ണയിക്കണം.
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s dharma-śāstra/nyāya material)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"In adjudication and accounting, classify produced/introduced property as gain and property caused to be removed as loss for liability, damages, and restitution calculations.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Vyavahāra: Determination of Gain (Lābha) and Loss (Hāni)","lookup_keywords":["vyavahara","labha","hani","dravyam","evidence/accounting"],"quick_summary":"Property a party produces/introduces is treated as gain; property he causes to be taken away is treated as loss. This supports clear quantification in disputes, fines, and compensation."}
Concept: Nyāya in vyavahāra depends on precise attribution of gain and loss to agency (who brings in vs. who causes removal).
Application: Use agency-based attribution to prevent false claims and to compute restitution proportionately.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Civil and criminal jurisprudence; legal procedure and evidentiary principles)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court scene where a judge and scribes record a litigant’s produced property as gain and the property removed by him as loss, with scales and ledgers visible.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style court of a dharmic king, warm earthy palette, stylized faces; scribes with palm-leaf manuscripts, balance scales, litigants presenting goods; inscription-like borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting of a seated king-judge with gold-leaf haloed throne, ornate court pillars; a clerk holding a ledger, litigants offering property; rich reds and greens, embossed jewelry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting emphasizing instructional clarity: judge pointing to two columns ‘lābha’ and ‘hāni’ on a manuscript; neat linework, soft shading, minimal background court details.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a diwān-e-‘adl: qazi-like judge, accountants with registers, litigants with bundles of goods; fine architectural detail, delicate textiles, marginal floral motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: yaccaiva→yat+ca+eva; upanayed→upanayet (final d before voiced); dravyaṃ vāpanayedyattu→dravyaṃ+vā+apanayet+yat+tu; vinirdiśet unchanged.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Rajadharma/Vyavahāra sections on evidence (pramāṇa), witnesses (sākṣin), and fines (daṇḍa)
FAQs
It imparts a legal-technical rule for adjudication: classify produced/introduced property as “gain” (labdha) and property removed/caused to be taken away as “loss” (hāni) for determining liability or accounting in disputes.
Beyond mythology and worship, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance material—definitions used in vyavahāra (legal procedure). This shows its compendium character by including jurisprudential concepts used for civil administration and dispute resolution.
By promoting accurate attribution of gain and loss, it supports dharma in social dealings—reducing injustice, false claims, and wrongful appropriation, which are treated as sources of negative karma.