Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 24
Ṣāḍguṇya — The Six Measures of Foreign Policy
with Rāja-maṇḍala Theory
इतीमं षोडशविधन्नकुर्यादेव विग्रहं तदात्वायतिसंशुद्धं कर्म राजा सदाचरेत्
itīmaṃ ṣoḍaśavidhannakuryādeva vigrahaṃ tadātvāyatisaṃśuddhaṃ karma rājā sadācaret
Thus, having weighed these sixteen considerations, the king should not undertake war; rather, he should always act with conduct purified in view of both the immediate situation and the future outcome.
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, the typical Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"War-decision protocol: evaluate a fixed set of strategic factors before initiating vigraha; prefer restraint when outcomes are impure/uncertain for present and future.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Ṣoḍaśa-vicāra (Sixteen considerations) before Vigraha","lookup_keywords":["ṣoḍaśa-vicāra","vigraha-nivṛtti","rāja-nīti","present-future assessment","śuddha-karman"],"quick_summary":"Before declaring war, the king should apply a structured checklist of sixteen considerations and act only when the action is ‘purified’ with respect to immediate conditions and long-term consequences."}
Concept: Śuddha-karman in rājadharma: actions must be examined for immediate and future purity (hitāhita across time).
Application: Adopt a governance habit of consequence-auditing (short-term vs long-term) before irreversible actions like war.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance, diplomacy, and kingly conduct)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in council, weighing a set of sixteen written considerations on palm-leaf tablets, restraining the war drum while ministers point to omens and future outcomes.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, royal court scene with the king seated on a low throne, ministers holding palm-leaf manuscripts listing sixteen considerations, subdued earth pigments, emphasis on calm restraint, traditional ornamentation, flat perspective.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, king with halo-like prabhā, ministers presenting a palm-leaf checklist, war drum and banner kept aside, rich textiles, gold-leaf highlights on throne and jewelry, devotional-polity mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional court tableau: labeled palm-leaf ‘ṣoḍaśa-vicāra’, ministers gesturing to ‘present’ and ‘future’ columns, delicate lines, soft colors, didactic composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed durbar with the king consulting advisors, a scribe recording sixteen points, war elephants in the background held back, fine architectural interior, naturalistic faces, restrained palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: itīmaṃ = iti + imam; ṣoḍaśavidhannakuryāt = ṣoḍaśa-vidham + na + kuryāt; tadātvāyatisaṃśuddham parsed as tadā + ātvāyati-saṃśuddham; sadācaret = sadā + ācaret.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma sections on sandhi–vigraha and ṣāḍguṇya; Agni Purana chapters on dūta (envoy) and mantrin (counsel) duties
FAQs
It teaches rājanīti (political science) decision-making: war (vigraha) should be avoided after evaluating a sixteenfold set of considerations, and policy should be chosen with both immediate and long-term outcomes in view.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana also preserves practical governance modules—diplomacy, war-policy, and kingly ethics—showing it functions as a compendium of applied knowledge (statecraft) as well as religious instruction.
By restraining unjustified conflict and choosing “purified” action mindful of future consequences (āyati), the king reduces harmful karma and upholds dharma through responsible, non-impulsive governance.