Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 3
Chapter 233 — Ṣāḍguṇya (The Six Measures of Royal Policy) and Foreign Daṇḍa
प्रकाशो ऽथ विषं वह्निर्विविधैः पुरुषैर् बधः दूषणञ्चैव साधूनामुदकानाञ्च दूषणं
prakāśo 'tha viṣaṃ vahnirvividhaiḥ puruṣair badhaḥ dūṣaṇañcaiva sādhūnāmudakānāñca dūṣaṇaṃ
আরও আছে গোপন কথা প্রকাশ, বিষপ্রয়োগ, অগ্নিপ্রয়োগ, নানা ব্যক্তির দ্বারা হত্যাকাণ্ড, সজ্জনদের নিন্দা এবং জলস्रोतের দূষণ।
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) addressing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Catalog of harmful/illegal acts relevant to governance: espionage breaches, poisoning, arson, hired killings, defamation of the good, and water contamination—useful for criminal classification and prevention.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Social Harms and Crimes: Secrets, Poison, Fire, Killing, Defamation, Water-Contamination","lookup_keywords":["prakāśa (secret disclosure)","viṣa","vahni","puruṣa-badha","udaka-dūṣaṇa"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates key threats to social order and security—ranging from information leaks and poisoning to arson, murder, slander of the virtuous, and pollution of water sources."}
Weapon Type: Poison (as covert weapon)
Concept: Protection of society requires guarding life, reputation of the righteous, and essential commons (especially water).
Application: Modern governance parallel: counterintelligence, anti-poisoning controls, fire safety, homicide prevention, anti-defamation norms, and water-security regulation.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Danda-niti (Governance, Crimes, and Social Harm)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal magistrate lists major offenses: a spy revealing secrets, a poisoner, an arsonist, hired killers, a slanderer targeting a sage, and a person fouling a well—shown as separate vignettes around a central court.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural narrative panels: central king-judge with palm-leaf register; surrounding small scenes—secret whisper exposed, a cup of poison, stylized flames, masked killers, a sage being maligned, a well being tainted; bold outlines, symbolic depiction.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore composition with central न्यायासन (judicial throne) and gold work; six small framed medallions showing each offense iconically (poison vial, flame, dagger, scroll of secrets, slander gesture, polluted well), ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout like a manual: central court with labeled icons; clean linework, subdued colors; emphasis on water source protection and civic order.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature with a qazi-like court scene; detailed side vignettes in landscape margins—well contamination, arson at night, clandestine poisoning—fine brushwork, realistic architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prakāśaḥ + atha → prakāśo 'tha; vahniḥ + vividhaiḥ → vahnir vividhaiḥ; dūṣaṇam + ca + eva → dūṣaṇañ caiva; sādhūnām + udakānām → sādhūnām udakānām.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma passages on crimes, punishments, and protection of subjects; Agni Purana sections on purity/impurity and social harms
FAQs
It lists major actionable harms—poisoning, arson, homicide, defamation of the virtuous, and pollution of water—used in rajadharma/danda-niti to classify serious offenses for governance and adjudication.
Beyond theology, it catalogs civic and legal concerns (public safety, reputation ethics, environmental/public-water protection), showing the text’s coverage of statecraft and social order alongside ritual and myth.
These acts are presented as grave adharma that harm society and purity; avoiding them (and restraining them through just rule) protects dharma and reduces heavy negative karma tied to violence, deceit, and communal pollution.