Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 17
Ṣāḍguṇya — The Six Measures of Foreign Policy
with Rāja-maṇḍala Theory
ज्ञानात्मशक्तिधर्माणां विघातो दैवमेव च मित्रार्थञ्चापमानश् च तथा बन्धुविनाशनं
jñānātmaśaktidharmāṇāṃ vighāto daivameva ca mitrārthañcāpamānaś ca tathā bandhuvināśanaṃ
إعاقةُ المعرفة، والقوةِ الباطنة، والدارما (الاستقامة)؛ وتسلُّطُ القدر وحده؛ وضياعُ منفعةِ الصديق أو ماله؛ والإهانة؛ وكذلك هلاكُ الأقارب—كلُّ ذلك يُعَدُّ من المصائب.
Lord Agni (narrating the Agni Purana’s instructional material)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Risk register for rulers: recognize calamities—loss of knowledge/strength/dharma, fatalism, economic loss via friends, humiliation, and kin-destruction—and build preventive policy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vyasanāni/Āpadāḥ (Calamities in Governance)","lookup_keywords":["apada","jnana-vighata","dharma-vighata","apamana","bandhu-nashana"],"quick_summary":"Calamities include obstruction of knowledge, inner power, and dharma; surrender to fate; loss of benefit through friends; humiliation; and destruction of kin. The takeaway is proactive protection of counsel, morale, alliances, and family stability."}
Concept: Misfortune manifests as erosion of jñāna, śakti, and dharma; fatalism worsens decline; social bonds are fragile and must be protected.
Application: Maintain education/counsel systems, cultivate inner resilience, avoid fatalistic inaction, protect allies’ interests, and prevent family factionalism.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Niti-shastra (Governance, omens, and misfortunes)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence-like tableau of calamities: a broken manuscript (knowledge obstructed), a dimmed aura (inner power), a fallen dharma-scale, a wheel of fate looming, a friend’s emptied treasury, a public insult, and a family tree with severed branches.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural composite panel with symbolic icons for each calamity, central king in चिंता (anxiety) posture, bold colors, decorative borders, mythic personification of Daiva as a large wheel.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore symbolic painting with gold highlights: king seated with worried expression, surrounding medallions showing each calamity (broken book, toppled scale, fate wheel, empty coffer, insult scene, broken family tree).","mysore_prompt":"Mysore didactic illustration, clean composition with labeled vignettes, soft shading, king receiving counsel on preventing each calamity, emphasis on clarity and instruction.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature narrative strip: court humiliation scene, ally’s loss, family dispute, with fine architectural settings and detailed costumes; subtle symbolism for fate and dharma."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ज्ञानात्मशक्तिधर्माणां = ज्ञान + आत्म + शक्ति + धर्माणाम् (द्वन्द्व); मित्रार्थञ्चापमानश् = मित्रार्थम् + च + अपमानः (श्च → च् + अ...); दैवमेव = दैवम् + एव.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 239 (niti and misfortunes); Agni Purana rajadharma sections on counsel and alliance
FAQs
It lists practical arishta-lakṣaṇas—recognized calamity indicators—such as disruption of learning and dharma, humiliation, and loss of kin, used in niti/rajadharma contexts for assessing decline and taking remedial action.
Beyond ritual and theology, it preserves a governance-and-ethics register: cataloguing social and personal calamities (arishta) relevant to statecraft, counseling, and day-to-day decision-making.
The verse frames certain losses—dharma’s obstruction, dishonor, and family ruin—as outcomes where daiva (destiny shaped by past karma) becomes prominent, prompting renewed commitment to dharma and corrective conduct.