Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 16
Adhyaya 222 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharmāḥ): Duties of Kings (Administrative Order, Protection, and Revenue Ethics
अनृतन्तु वदन् दण्ड्यः सुवित्तस्यांशमष्टमं प्रणष्टस्वामिकमृक्थं राजात्र्यब्दं निधापयेत्
anṛtantu vadan daṇḍyaḥ suvittasyāṃśamaṣṭamaṃ praṇaṣṭasvāmikamṛkthaṃ rājātryabdaṃ nidhāpayet
जो असत्य बोलतो तो दंडनीय आहे; त्याच्या संपत्तीचा अष्टमांश दंड म्हणून घ्यावा. ज्याचा स्वामी हरवलेला/अज्ञात आहे अशी मालमत्ता राजा तीन वर्षे ठेव म्हणून राखील।
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s didactic discourse on rājadharma)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Guides judicial penalties for perjury/false testimony and sets a state procedure for handling unclaimed property by time-bound royal deposit.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Anṛta-daṇḍa (fine of 1/8 wealth) and apranasta-svāmi property deposit (3 years)","lookup_keywords":["anṛta","daṇḍa","aṣṭama-bhāga","apranasta-svāmi","nidhi-nyāsa"],"quick_summary":"Falsehood in legal context incurs a fine of one-eighth of the offender’s wealth; ownerless/unknown-owner property is to be held by the king in deposit for three years."}
Concept: Satya (truth) is protected through daṇḍa; the king’s trusteeship over property is time-limited and procedural.
Application: In adjudication, penalize proven false statements proportionally; for found property, register and hold it securely for a defined limitation period before further action.
Khanda Section: Rājadharma & Vyavahāra (Law, Governance, and Judicial Procedure)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court where a false speaker is fined (coins weighed out as one-eighth), and separately a sealed treasury chest labeled as unclaimed property held for three years under royal custody.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: king on throne with attendants, a judge-like minister, the offender with lowered head, a balance scale weighing coins, a sealed chest with palm-leaf tag ‘trivarṣa-nyāsa’, warm ochres and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate court scene with gold-leaf throne and treasury vessels; the fine being paid into a gilded coffer; strong frontal composition, rich reds and gold.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clear didactic court layout—panel 1 perjury fine (1/8) shown with fraction marks; panel 2 deposit chest with ‘3 years’ notation; delicate lines, calm palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed diwān-i-‘ām style court, scribes recording the fine, coin trays, sealed chest in treasury alcove, architectural depth, floral border."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: anṛtantu → anṛtam + tu; suvittasyāṃśamaṣṭamaṃ → su-vittasya + aṃśam + aṣṭamam; praṇaṣṭasvāmikamṛkthaṃ → praṇaṣṭa-svāmikam + ṛktham; rājātryabdaṃ → rājā + tryabdam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Vyavahāra rules on witnesses, oaths, and fines; Agni Purana sections on rājadharma and daṇḍanīti
FAQs
It gives practical legal guidance (vyavahāra-vidyā): the fine for speaking untruth is one-eighth of one’s wealth, and the king must hold ownerless/lost-owner property in official custody for three years.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purāṇa preserves governance and jurisprudence norms—quantified penalties and state procedure for unclaimed property—showing its dharmaśāstra-like coverage of civil administration.
Truthfulness is treated as a core dharmic duty; the fine functions as social and karmic correction, while the king’s custodianship of unclaimed wealth upholds justice and prevents misappropriation, supporting righteous rule (dharma-rājya).