Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 2
Chapter 233 — Ṣāḍguṇya (The Six Measures of Royal Policy) and Foreign Daṇḍa
शत्रुं जिहीर्षुरुच्छिन्द्यादिति घ , ञ च प्रकाशश्चाप्रकाशश् च द्विविधो दण्ड उच्यते लुण्ठनं ग्रामघातश् च शस्यघातो ऽग्निदीपनं
śatruṃ jihīrṣurucchindyāditi gha , ña ca prakāśaścāprakāśaś ca dvividho daṇḍa ucyate luṇṭhanaṃ grāmaghātaś ca śasyaghāto 'gnidīpanaṃ
শত্রুকে দমন করতে ইচ্ছুক ব্যক্তি তার সম্পদ ও সহায়তা ছিন্ন করবে—এমন বিধান বলা হয়েছে। দণ্ড দুই প্রকার—প্রকাশ (প্রকাশ্য) ও অপ্রকাশ (গোপন)। এর অন্তর্গত লুণ্ঠন, গ্রামধ্বংস, শস্যনাশ এবং অগ্নিদীপন (অগ্নিসংযোগ)।
Lord Agni (in dialogue tradition, instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Guidance for rulers on coercive measures against hostile powers: resource interdiction and calibrated use of overt vs covert punishment to break enemy capacity.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Dvi-vidha Daṇḍa (Prakāśa/Aprakāśa) and Coercive Acts against an Enemy","lookup_keywords":["daṇḍa","prakāśa-aprakāśa","lūṇṭhana","grāmaghāta","śasyaghāta"],"quick_summary":"Daṇḍa is classified as public and secret; coercion includes plunder, village destruction, crop destruction, and arson—aimed at cutting off the enemy’s support and supplies."}
Concept: Rāja-daṇḍa as an instrument of governance; strategic interdiction of an enemy’s base of support.
Application: In policy terms: prioritize disrupting enemy logistics and legitimacy; distinguish overt enforcement from covert operations; avoid indiscriminate harm in modern ethical frameworks while retaining the principle of capability-denial.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Statecraft, Law, and Punishment)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king and ministers in council planning to cut off an enemy’s supplies; in the distance, raiders plunder, fields are burned, and a village is threatened—depicting overt and covert daṇḍa.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat yet vivid colors, a crowned king with ministers under a palace canopy, gesturing toward a map; background vignettes of crop-burning and village raid, stylized flames, traditional ornaments, no gore, narrative panels.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central enthroned king with gold-leaf halo-like arch, ministers holding palm-leaf documents; side panels show plunder and burning fields with rich reds and gold accents, ornate borders, devotional-polity aesthetic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, refined linework, muted palette; instructional court scene with a strategic map, labeled icons for lūṇṭhana, grāmaghāta, śasyaghāta, agnidīpana; balanced composition, minimal violence.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed durbar with the king consulting wazirs; background landscape with tiny figures raiding granaries and setting fire to stubble, intricate textiles, perspective architecture, restrained depiction of conflict."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: jihīrṣuḥ + ucchindyāt → jihīrṣurucchindyāt; prakāśaḥ + ca + aprakāśaḥ → prakāśaś cāprakāśaḥ; śasyaghātaḥ + agnidīpanam with avagraha: śasyaghāto 'gnidīpanam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma/Danda-nīti sections on sāma-dāna-bheda-daṇḍa and upāyas; Agni Purana chapters on duties of the king and punishment (daṇḍa)
FAQs
It teaches daṇḍanīti (political jurisprudence): coercive policy is classified as open or covert, and it lists concrete hostile measures such as plunder, village-ruin, crop-destruction, and arson used to cut off an enemy.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance manuals—here, a compact typology of punishment and wartime coercion, reflecting classical Indian political science embedded within a Purāṇic framework.
By framing coercion as regulated daṇḍa (state-enforced discipline), the text implies that force becomes ethically weightier when executed as rule-bound policy rather than private violence—though destructive acts still carry serious moral consequences if done unjustly.