Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 4
Chapter 154: विवाहः
Vivāha — Marriage
अपत्यविक्रयासक्ते निष्कृतिर् न विधीयते कन्यादानं शचीयोगो विवाहो ऽथ चतुर्थिका
apatyavikrayāsakte niṣkṛtir na vidhīyate kanyādānaṃ śacīyogo vivāho 'tha caturthikā
Bagi orang yang ketagih menjual zuriat, tiada penebusan dosa (niṣkṛti) yang ditetapkan. (Seterusnya) dinyatakan: kanyā-dāna (penyerahan anak dara), Śacī-yoga, upacara perkahwinan yang wajar, dan kemudian amalan ‘caturthikā’.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, the default narration frame of the Agni Purana)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Ethical-legal boundary: condemns commodification of progeny; then enumerates marriage-related rites/observances (kanyādāna, śacī-yoga, vivāha proper, caturthikā) for household ritual practice.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Prohibition of offspring-sale and sequence of vivāha observances","lookup_keywords":["apatya-vikraya","kanyādāna","śacī-yoga","caturthikā","vivāha rites"],"quick_summary":"Declares no expiation for addiction to selling offspring (a grave social sin) and then lists key marriage rites/observances to be performed in order, anchoring gṛhastha practice."}
Concept: Certain acts (commodifying offspring) are treated as severely adharmic; vivāha is structured through prescribed saṃskāras and vrata-like observances.
Application: Householders follow the enumerated rites; communities treat child-selling as a non-trivializable transgression (not ‘fixed’ by minor prāyaścitta).
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Vivaha-vidhi (Marriage law and rites)
Primary Rasa: dharmavira
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic contrast: a condemned act of selling a child (shown as a moral warning), followed by a proper wedding sequence—kanyādāna, śacī-yoga, and caturthikā observance in the bridal chamber context.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural narrative: first a cautionary scene with elders stopping a transaction involving a child, expressive moral tone; second a sanctified vivāha with kanyādāna before fire, then a symbolic śacī-yoga/caturthikā domestic rite, traditional flat composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, emphasis on auspicious wedding rites with gold ornaments, sacred fire, priests; the warning scene minimized as a side vignette with subdued colors, main focus on dharmic ritual splendor","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional storyboard of rites: labeled steps—kanyādāna, ritual joining, then caturthikā observance; gentle palette and precise ritual objects (kalaśa, agni-kuṇḍa, maṅgala-sūtra-like ornamentation as regional proxy)","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly wedding pavilion with detailed ritual paraphernalia; marginal vignette showing a prohibited transaction being halted by authorities, fine architectural and textile detail"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vivāho 'tha → vivāhaḥ atha (visarga before vowel with avagraha).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 154 (Vivāha-vidhi); Agni Purana vrata-related chapters (for observance framing)
FAQs
It states a prāyaścitta rule (no expiation for selling one’s offspring) and signals the upcoming technical treatment of marriage rites: kanyā-dāna, a named rite called Śacī-yoga, the vivāha procedure, and the caturthikā observance.
It exemplifies the text’s dharma-shastra layer—codifying social-legal prohibitions and then cataloging household rituals (marriage sub-rites), showing how the Agni Purana ranges beyond mythology into applied law and samskāra practice.
Selling offspring is treated as a grievous, socially destructive act with no stated ritual atonement here, underscoring severe karmic consequence; by contrast, properly performed marriage rites are framed as dharmic household duties that sustain social and spiritual order.