Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 14
Chapter 226 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharma: Royal Duties and Daṇḍanīti
सो ऽन्तर्दशाहात्तत्स्वामी दद्याच्चैवाददीत च परेण तु दशाहस्य नादद्यान्नैव दापयेत्
so 'ntardaśāhāttatsvāmī dadyāccaivādadīta ca pareṇa tu daśāhasya nādadyānnaiva dāpayet
Se for dentro de dez dias, o verdadeiro proprietário deve devolver (o objeto) e também aceitá-lo (quando for restituído). Mas, passados dez dias, não deve aceitá-lo nem fazer com que seja entregue por coação.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as typical for Agni Purana legal-dharma sections)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Sets a time-limit rule (ten days) for return/acceptance in ownership or transaction disputes; guides courts on when to compel restitution and when to bar claims.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Daśāha (ten-day) limit for return and acceptance in property matters","lookup_keywords":["daśāha","svāmī","pratigraha","pratidāna","vyavahāra"],"quick_summary":"Within ten days, the owner should accept return and also return what is due; after ten days, neither acceptance nor compelled handover is to be enforced, creating a clear limitation period."}
Concept: Time-bound justice: rights and remedies are conditioned by timely action to prevent endless dispute.
Application: Implement limitation periods in adjudication; encourage prompt reporting/return to preserve evidence and social trust.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Law of property, debts, and transactions)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A claimant returns an item to its owner within a marked ten-day period; a court clerk notes the day count; in a contrasting panel, a late claimant is turned away after ten days.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-register composition: upper register shows return within ten days with a palm-leaf calendar motif; lower register shows refusal after ten days; stylized court attendants and bold outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, king and minister under a gold arch, a small calendar/ten marks motif, petitioner offering an object, second petitioner refused, gold embossing on throne and ornaments","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with clear gestures and a visible ten-day tally on a scroll, calm courtroom palette, emphasis on procedural clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, meticulous ledger with date entries, owner receiving goods, later scene with officials denying enforcement, detailed coins and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सः+अन्तः → सोऽन्तः; अन्तः+दशाहात् → अन्तर्दशाहात्; तत्+स्वामी → तत्स्वामी; दद्यात्+च+एव → दद्याच्चैव; न+आदद्यात्+न+एव → नादद्यान्नैव
Related Themes: Agni Purana 226 (time limits and procedural rules in vyavahāra)
FAQs
It gives a vyavahāra (legal) rule: a ten-day window governs whether the owner should accept restoration/return; beyond that period, acceptance or compelled delivery is prohibited.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves practical civil-jurisprudence (vyavahāra)—time-bound rules for ownership, recovery, and enforcement—showing its wide coverage of governance and social order.
By discouraging belated acceptance or coercive recovery beyond the prescribed limit, it promotes restraint, non-harm, and orderly conduct—key dharmic principles that reduce conflict and karmic liability.