Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 34
वाक्पारुष्यादिप्रकरणम्
The Topic of Verbal Abuse and Related Offences
तुलाशासनमानानां कूटकृन्नाणकस्य च एभिश् च व्यवहर्ता यः स दाप्यो दण्डमुत्तमम्
tulāśāsanamānānāṃ kūṭakṛnnāṇakasya ca ebhiś ca vyavahartā yaḥ sa dāpyo daṇḍamuttamam
အလေးချိန်တံချိန်၊ အတိုင်းအတာနှင့် တိုင်းတာကိရိယာများကို လိမ်လည်ပြုလုပ်ထားသည့်အရာများဖြင့် သို့မဟုတ် အတုငွေကြေးဖြင့် အရောင်းအဝယ်ပြုသူသည် အမြင့်ဆုံးဒဏ်ကို ပေးဆောင်ရမည်။
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, within rajadharma/vyavahāra discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Authorizes severe punishment for fraud in trade via falsified scales/weights/measures and counterfeit coinage, supporting market integrity and state revenue protection.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Highest penalty for falsified measures and counterfeit coinage","lookup_keywords":["tulā-māna","śāsana (measure)","kūṭa-kṛt","nānaka (coin)","uttama-daṇḍa"],"quick_summary":"Using forged weights/measures or counterfeit coins in transactions warrants the maximum fine, treating market fraud as a high-grade offence."}
Concept: Satya (truthfulness) in exchange is a pillar of social order; daṇḍa safeguards collective trust.
Application: Institute inspections of weights/coinage; impose exemplary fines to deter systemic cheating.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Law, Justice, and Governance)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Market inspection: an official checks a merchant’s balance scale and standardized weights; another officer examines coins, revealing counterfeit pieces; the judge orders the highest fine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, bazaar with stylized figures, official holding a balance scale, standardized stone weights, coins displayed on a cloth, stern judge in background, bold outlines and saturated colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central figure of market inspector with ornate scale, gold-highlighted coin tray, merchant in supplication, royal emblem behind, heavy gold borders and rich reds/greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear didactic composition: close-up of scale, weights, measuring rod, coin inspection with magnifier-like gesture, calm but firm officials, fine linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling market with detailed stalls, inspector weighing goods, coin assayer examining currency, court clerk noting penalty, intricate textiles and architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tulāśāsanamānānāṃ → tulā śāsana mānānām (समुच्चय-समासवत्); kūṭakṛnnāṇakasya → kūṭa-kṛt nāṇakasya; ebhiś ca → ebhiḥ ca; daṇḍamuttamam → daṇḍam uttamam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 257 (market offences and graded penalties)
FAQs
It gives a rule of vyavahāra (juridical practice): using falsified scales/weights/measures or counterfeit coinage in transactions is a serious offense punishable by the highest daṇḍa (penalty).
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance material—commercial regulation, legal standards, and punishment—showing it functions as a compendium of statecraft and social order.
By condemning fraud in trade and mandating severe punishment, the text frames economic dishonesty as adharma that disrupts social trust; enforcing justice protects dharma and reduces collective karmic harm.