Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 26
Determination of Boundary Disputes and Related Matters (सीमाविवादादिनिर्णयः)
स्वकुटुम्बाविरोधेन देयं दारसुतादृते नान्वये सति सर्वस्वं देयं यच्चान्यसंश्रुतम्
svakuṭumbāvirodhena deyaṃ dārasutādṛte nānvaye sati sarvasvaṃ deyaṃ yaccānyasaṃśrutam
ਦਾਨ ਆਪਣੇ ਘਰ‑ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਨੁਕਸਾਨ ਜਾਂ ਟਕਰਾਅ ਪਹੁੰਚਾਏ ਬਿਨਾਂ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਪਤਨੀ‑ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਹੱਕ ਨੂੰ ਘਟਾ ਕੇ ਨਹੀਂ। ਜੇ ਵੰਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਵਾਰਸ ਨਾ ਹੋਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਜੋ ਧਨ ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਲਈ ਵਚਨਬੱਧ ਜਾਂ ਰਾਖਵਾਂ ਨਹੀਂ, ਉਸ ਸਮੇਤ ਸਾਰੀ ਜਾਇਦਾਦ ਵੀ ਦਾਨ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾ ਸਕਦੀ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (teaching Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s dharma sections)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Ethical decision-making in gifting and estate planning: protect dependents, avoid intra-family conflict, and determine when full donation of property is permissible.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Dāna-niyama: kula-avirodha and dāra-suta-rakṣaṇa","lookup_keywords":["dāna-vidhi","svakutumba-avirodha","dāra-suta","anvaya (heir)","sarvasva-dāna"],"quick_summary":"Gifts should not injure household welfare or deprive wife and children. Only when there is no heir may one donate the whole estate, especially unencumbered/unpromised wealth."}
Concept: Dāna is dharmic only when it preserves dependent-rights and avoids harm; ownership is bounded by obligations to family and lineage.
Application: Before donating, verify dependents’ maintenance, heirs’ claims, and whether assets are encumbered/promised; document intent to prevent disputes.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Dāna-vidhi (Rules of gifting and inheritance ethics)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder at the threshold of his home consults elders while preparing a donation, with wife and children present, emphasizing non-harm and rightful provision before gifting.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, warm earthy palette, a gṛhastha offering a gift to a brāhmaṇa while wife and children stand protected behind him, elders advising, temple-like domestic courtyard, flat iconic composition, ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on vessels and ornaments, householder seated with account-scroll, wife and children beside, donor’s hand extended with measured gift, rich textiles, frontal symmetry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, delicate linework, instructional domestic scene: donor verifying heirs and promised assets with palm-leaf ledger, calm faces, muted colors, fine detailing.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly domestic interior, donor with ledger and witnesses, wife and children in background, subtle architectural depth, precise textiles, documentary realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: svakuṭumbāvirodhena → sva-kuṭumba-avirodhena; dārasutādṛte → dāra-suta-adṛte; nānvaye → na anvaye; yaccānyasaṃśrutam → yat ca anya-saṃśrutam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 256 (dāna-vidhi context); Agni Purana sections on rājadharma/vyavahāra (property ethics)
FAQs
It gives a dharma-legal rule for dāna: charity must not be made by depriving one’s wife and children, and total donation of property is permitted particularly when no heir exists and prior commitments are not violated.
Alongside rituals and theology, the Agni Purana also preserves practical social ethics—here, norms of gifting, family obligation, and property disposition—showing its coverage of dharma and quasi-legal guidance.
It frames charity as meritorious only when aligned with dharma: generosity should be non-injurious and responsible, avoiding adharma that would arise from harming dependents or breaking pledged obligations.