Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 36
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
वाक्पारुष्यं परं लोके उद्वेजनमनर्थकं असिद्धसाधनं दण्डस्तं युक्त्यानयेन्नृपः
vākpāruṣyaṃ paraṃ loke udvejanamanarthakaṃ asiddhasādhanaṃ daṇḍastaṃ yuktyānayennṛpaḥ
వాక్కు కఠినత లోకంలో గొప్ప దోషం; అది అనవసర కలతను కలిగించి ప్రయోజనం సాధించదు. కాబట్టి రాజు యుక్తివిచారంతో దానికి తగిన శిక్షను విధించాలి।
Lord Agni (in instruction to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Judicial administration: discouraging verbal cruelty and prescribing reasoned, proportionate punishment to maintain public order and legitimacy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Daṇḍa for Vāk-pāruṣya: Reasoned punishment for verbal cruelty","lookup_keywords":["vākpāruṣya","daṇḍa","yukti","udvejana","vyavahara"],"quick_summary":"Verbal harshness causes needless agitation and achieves no constructive end; the ruler should curb it through punishment applied with reasoning and proportionality."}
Concept: Speech-ethics and danda-niti: punishment must be yukti-yukta (reasoned), aiming at social welfare rather than agitation.
Application: Codify penalties for insults/abuse, ensure due process, and train officials to avoid humiliating language while enforcing law.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance, Law, and Punishment)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in court restrains an abusive speaker; instead of shouting, he consults advisors and applies a measured, reasoned penalty to prevent public agitation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural courtroom: king with composed face, an angry litigant restrained, advisors gesturing toward balance, strong outlines, symbolic scales of justice, calm palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: enthroned king with gold arch, minister presenting a written judgment, the offender with folded hands, gold detailing on court ornaments, emphasis on dignified restraint","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: procedural justice scene—scribe recording, minister explaining yukti, graded fine shown as coins, offender admonished; clean, instructional composition","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: refined court interior, judge-king confers with counselors, offender chastened, onlookers calmed; intricate carpets, calligraphy-like decree scroll"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Khamas","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वाक्पारुष्यम् → वाक् + पारुष्यम् (क् + प → क्प); उद्वेजनमनर्थकम् → उद्वेजनम् + अनर्थकम् (म् + अ → म अ); दण्डस्तम् → दण्डः + तम् (ः + त → स्त); युक्त्यानयेत् → युक्त्या + आनयेत् (आ + आ → आ; written as युक्त्यानयेत्); आनयेन्नृपः → आनयेत् + नृपः (त् + न → न्न, per sandhi in recitation).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 240 (Rajadharma: danda, vak-parushya, vyavahara norms)
FAQs
It imparts rāja-nīti/daṇḍa-nīti: the practical rule that abusive speech (vākpāruṣya) is socially harmful and should be corrected through proportionate, reasoned punishment by the ruler.
Beyond ritual and theology, it preserves applied statecraft—classifying offences (like verbal abuse) and prescribing governance tools (daṇḍa) to maintain public order, showing the Purana’s breadth into jurisprudence and administration.
Harsh speech generates harm and negative karma by disturbing others; restraining and correcting it supports dharma, social peace, and personal purification through disciplined, non-injurious communication.