Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 1
Chapter 253 — व्यवहारकथनम्
The Account of Legal Procedure
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे व्यवहारो नाम द्विपञ्चाशदधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः अथ त्रिपञ्चाशदधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः व्यवहारकथनं अग्निर् उवाच गृहीतार्थः क्रमाद्दाप्यो धनिनामधमर्णिकः दत्वा तु ब्राह्मणायादौ नृपतेस्तदनन्तरम्
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe vyavahāro nāma dvipañcāśadadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ atha tripañcāśadadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ vyavahārakathanaṃ agnir uvāca gṛhītārthaḥ kramāddāpyo dhanināmadhamarṇikaḥ datvā tu brāhmaṇāyādau nṛpatestadanantaram
یوں آگنی مہاپُران میں ‘ویوہار’ نامی 252واں باب مکمل ہوا۔ اب ‘ویوہار کتھن’ نامی 253واں باب شروع ہوتا ہے۔ اگنی نے فرمایا—جس مقروض نے دوسروں کا مال لیا ہے وہ قرض خواہوں کو ترتیب سے ادا کرے؛ پہلے برہمن کو، پھر اس کے بعد راجہ کو۔
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Establishing repayment priority among creditors: first satisfy Brahmin dues, then royal dues; useful for insolvency ordering and state-supervised debt settlement.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Priority of repayment: Brahmin first, then king","lookup_keywords":["repayment priority","uttamarna (creditor)","adhamarnika (debtor)","brahmana dues","raja dues"],"quick_summary":"A debtor must repay in an ordered sequence: obligations to a Brāhmaṇa are discharged first, followed by obligations to the king—creating a hierarchy for settling multiple claims."}
Concept: Ordered obligation (ṛṇa) and social hierarchy in repayment: dharma ranks claims to preserve ritual-social and political stability.
Application: In multi-creditor disputes, courts can apply priority rules to distribute recovered assets and prevent arbitrary preference.
Khanda Section: Vyavahāra / Rāja-dharma (Dharmaśāstra—legal procedure, debts, repayment priority)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A debtor before a court clerk distributing payments: first to a Brahmin creditor, then to the royal treasury officer; the chapter colophon is shown as a palm-leaf manuscript header.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, palm-leaf manuscript motif at top, debtor offering coins first to a serene Brahmin, then to a royal officer with treasury box, balanced symmetrical composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Brahmin with sacred thread receiving first payment, king’s treasury chest with gold embossing receiving next, ornate borders and gold leaf highlighting hierarchy.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional panel with two-step repayment order visually numbered, scribe annotating, gentle palette and precise outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, administrative distribution scene with accountants, Brahmin creditor seated on a carpet, treasury official beside a coffer, manuscript colophon calligraphy in margin."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इति+आग्नेये→इत्याग्नेये; द्विशततमो+अध्यायः→द्विशततमोऽध्यायः; त्रिशततमो+अध्यायः→(here) द्विशततमोऽध्यायः; अग्निः+उवाच→अग्निरुवाच; क्रमात्+दाप्यः→क्रमाद्दाप्यः; ब्राह्मणाय+आदौ→ब्राह्मणायादौ; नृपतेः+तत्+अनन्तरम्→नृपतेस्तदनन्तरम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 253 (continuation: recovery, fines, debtor treatment); Agni Purana 252 (preceding vyavahara chapter colophon)
FAQs
It teaches a Dharmaśāstra rule of vyavahāra: a debtor who has received funds is legally liable to repay, following an ordered priority—first dues to a Brāhmaṇa, then dues to the king.
It shows the Agni Purana functioning as a compendium beyond mythology—preserving practical jurisprudence (vyavahāra), creditor–debtor norms, and state-related legal priorities within a Purāṇic framework.
Repaying debts is framed as dharma: honoring obligations—especially to Brāhmaṇas and the ruler—supports social order and reduces the karmic burden associated with unjust retention of another’s wealth.