Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 60
Chapter 226 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharma: Royal Duties and Daṇḍanīti
अभक्ष्यभक्ष्ये विप्रे वा शूद्रे वा कृष्णलो दमः तुलाशासनकर्ता च कूटकृन्नाशकस्य च
abhakṣyabhakṣye vipre vā śūdre vā kṛṣṇalo damaḥ tulāśāsanakartā ca kūṭakṛnnāśakasya ca
బ్రాహ్మణుడు గానీ శూద్రుడు గానీ భక్షించరాని ఆహారాన్ని తింటే ఒక కృష్ణల దండం. అలాగే తూకపు త్రాసు లేదా కొలమాన దండం తయారు/మార్పు చేసే వాడికీ, నకిలీదారుడిపై సాక్ష్యాన్ని నాశనం చేసే వాడికీ అదే దండం.
Lord Agni (in discourse to the sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Regulate social conduct (forbidden foods) and commercial integrity (weights/measures); impose standardized minor fines to maintain order and trust.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"One-kṛṣṇala fine: forbidden food, tampering with measures, and evidence-destruction aiding forgery","lookup_keywords":["abhakṣya-bhakṣaṇa","kṛṣṇala dama","tulā (scale)","śāsana (measuring rod)","kūṭa-nāśaka"],"quick_summary":"A small fixed fine (one kṛṣṇala) applies to eating forbidden food (for brāhmaṇa or śūdra) and to tampering with weighing/measuring instruments or destroying evidence connected to forgery."}
Concept: Dharma includes bodily discipline (food rules) and economic honesty (true measures); even ‘small’ breaches merit correction.
Application: Institutionalize calibrated weights/measures; penalize evidence-tampering as obstruction of justice.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Dharmaśāstra / Legal Penalties and Social Offences)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inspectors check a merchant’s scale and measuring rod; a person is fined for eating prohibited food; another is caught destroying evidence related to forgery.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, market inspection tableau: large balance scale, measuring rod, officials in traditional attire, offender paying a small coin, strong outlines and flat colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold accents on the royal insignia; central scale and rod rendered prominently; small coin (kṛṣṇala) shown as fine; devotional-judicial ambience.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic scene: calibrated weights, marked rod, scribe noting ‘1 kṛṣṇala’, clear labeling-like composition, soft palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bazaar realism: brass weights, beam scale, clerk recording fine, subtle portrayal of evidence being hidden/destroyed, fine architectural background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: abhakṣya + bhakṣye → abhakṣyabhakṣye (dvandva); kūṭa-kṛt + nāśakasya → kūṭakṛnnāśakasya (final -t before n → -nn- by sandhi); daṇḍa context implied; verse is elliptical.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 226 (weights/measures and fraud-related penalties)
FAQs
It gives a vyavahāra (legal) rule: a quantified monetary fine (kṛṣṇala) for specific offences—eating forbidden food and commercial/forensic fraud involving measures (tulā, śāsana) and forgery-related obstruction.
Beyond theology, it preserves practical governance norms—trade regulation (weights/measures), anti-fraud measures, and standardized fines—showing the Purāṇa’s coverage of dharma, civil administration, and economic integrity.
It treats impure consumption and dishonest commerce as dharmic transgressions with karmic weight, recommending social correction through fines to protect purity, fairness, and public trust.