Shloka 19
Power and Prudence — Chanakya Niti
अग्निर्देवो द्विजातीनां मुनीनां हृदि दैवतम् ।
प्रतिमा स्वल्पबुद्धीनां सर्वत्र समदर्शिनः ॥
agnir devo dvijātīnāṃ munīnāṃ hṛdi daivatam |
pratimā svalpabuddhīnāṃ sarvatra samadarśinaḥ ||
For the twice-born, fire (Agni) is divine; for sages, the divine dwells in the heart; for the small-minded, an image is the divine. The even-seeing perceives equally everywhere.
FAQs
This verse reflects a premodern South Asian classificatory style in which religious practice is described through social categories (e.g., dvijāti) and spiritual typologies (e.g., muni). The references align with Vedic and post-Vedic continuities: Agni is central to ritual culture, while interiorized devotion and meditative interiority are associated with ascetic and philosophical traditions. Such categorizations appear across Sanskrit didactic literature as part of broader discussions on ritual, knowledge, and perception.
The verse presents multiple loci for the “divine” (daivatam): ritual fire for dvijāti, inward presence in the heart for munis, and external iconography (pratimā) for those described as svalpabuddhi. In archival terms, this functions as a typology of religious orientation—ritual, interior contemplation, and image-based devotion—rather than a single uniform definition.
Key terms carry layered cultural meanings: “Agni” signifies both literal fire and the Vedic sacrificial medium; “hṛdi” (in the heart) signals interiorization common to Upaniṣadic and ascetic idioms; “pratimā” indicates material representation used in temple and devotional contexts; “samadarśin” is a technical ethical-philosophical descriptor meaning even or equal vision, often associated with equanimity and non-partial perception in Sanskrit philosophical discourse.