Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 76
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
अङ्गहीनश् च कर्तव्यो दाप्यश्चोत्तमसाहसं शक्तो ह्य् अमोक्षयन् स्वामी दंष्ट्रिणः शृङ्गिणस् तथा
aṅgahīnaś ca kartavyo dāpyaścottamasāhasaṃ śakto hy amokṣayan svāmī daṃṣṭriṇaḥ śṛṅgiṇas tathā
त्याला अंगभंग (शारीरिक दंड) करावा आणि ‘उत्तमसाहस’ दंडही वसूल करावा. कारण समर्थ असूनही जो स्वामी (पशूला) आवरत नाही तो दोषी ठरतो—दंष्ट्रधारी व शृंगधारी प्राण्यांच्या बाबतीतही।
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Tort/owner-liability rule: if an owner fails to restrain dangerous animals (tusked/horned) despite ability, he is liable for harm and subject to corporal penalty plus the highest fine for violent assault.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Owner liability for harm by tusked/horned animals; corporal penalty and highest sāhasa fine","lookup_keywords":["amo kshay an","svami","damshtrin","shringin","uttama-sahasa"],"quick_summary":"When a dangerous animal causes injury and the owner could have restrained it but did not, the owner bears legal responsibility and is punished with corporal penalty and the highest sāhasa fine."}
Concept: Negligence (aśakti-abhāva vs śakti-sattva) determines culpability; preventable harm creates duty and penalty.
Application: Civic regulation: require tethering/enclosures, impose fines for negligent owners, and treat repeat negligence as aggravated violence.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Law of Torts, Penalties, and Owner Liability)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tusked or horned animal (boar/elephant/bull) gores a passerby; the owner stands nearby able to restrain but fails; later, the court orders corporal punishment and a heavy fine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dramatic street scene with charging horned animal, stylized motion lines; then palace court with king, victim, owner, and guards; earthy palette and bold contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted royal court; animal shown in a side vignette; owner presented with rope/halter symbolizing neglected restraint; rich ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear didactic sequence: animal enclosure vs open street, owner holding unused tether, court clerk recording fine; fine linework and calm composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, lively urban street with animal incident, detailed crowd reactions; subsequent court scene with precise depiction of fines and punishment instruments."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"cautionary","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अङ्गहीनश् = अङ्ग-हीनः; दाप्यश्चोत्तमसाहसं = दाप्यः च उत्तम-साहसम्; ह्य् = हि; अमोक्षयन् = अ-मोक्षयन् (नञ् + शतृ).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (Vyavahara: sāhasa, liability, fines)
FAQs
It imparts vyavahāra-vidyā (legal procedure/penal law): the rule that an owner who can restrain an animal but fails to do so is punishable—by maximum sāhasa fine and, in severe cases, corporal penalty—when tusked or horned animals cause harm.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves practical statecraft and jurisprudence—here, a concrete doctrine of liability and graded punishment for preventable harm caused by dangerous animals, aligning the Purana with dharmaśāstra-style governance content.
It frames negligence as adharma: failing to prevent foreseeable harm creates culpability, and lawful punishment/fines function as prāyaścitta-like social purification while deterring future violence and protecting beings.