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
One who seeks to overpower an enemy should cut him off from resources and support—thus the rule is stated. Punishment (daṇḍa) is declared to be of two kinds: open (public) and covert (secret). Among coercive acts are plunder, the destruction of villages, the destruction of crops, and the kindling of fire (arson).
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.