Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 28
Adhyaya 222 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharmāḥ): Duties of Kings (Administrative Order, Protection, and Revenue Ethics
गन्धौषधिरसानाञ्च पुष्पमूलफलस्य च बालदायादिकं युक्तमिति ख , ग , घ , ञ च स्त्रीणाञ्चैव द्विजातीनामिति ट पत्रशाकतृणानाञ्च वंशवैणवचर्मणां
gandhauṣadhirasānāñca puṣpamūlaphalasya ca bāladāyādikaṃ yuktamiti kha , ga , gha , ña ca strīṇāñcaiva dvijātīnāmiti ṭa patraśākatṛṇānāñca vaṃśavaiṇavacarmaṇāṃ
Las fragancias, las sustancias medicinales y sus esencias/jugos, así como las flores, raíces y frutos, deben incluirse entre los bienes sujetos a tasación. Del mismo modo, lo relativo a los niños, a la herencia y a asuntos semejantes ha de regularse debidamente; y también lo concerniente a las mujeres y a los “dos veces nacidos” (dvija). Además, las hortalizas de hoja y las hierbas, así como los productos de bambú/caña y las pieles/cuero, han de contarse igualmente dentro de las categorías enumeradas.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s discourse style)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Create a taxable-goods taxonomy covering perfumes, medicinal substances, plant produce, vegetables, grasses, bamboo goods, and hides; also regulate family-law domains (children, inheritance) and protected social categories (women, twice-born) within administrative oversight.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Enumerated assessable goods and regulated social/legal domains","lookup_keywords":["gandha","auṣadhi-rasa","puṣpa-mūla-phala","patra-śāka","vaṃśa-vaiṇava","carma","dāya"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists commodity classes for assessment—fragrances, medicinal extracts, flowers/roots/fruits, leafy vegetables, grasses, bamboo/reed products, and hides—while indicating that matters of children, inheritance, women, and twice-born require due regulation under law."}
Concept: Systematization (varga-vibhāga) of goods and jurisdictions is a pillar of orderly governance.
Application: Maintain commodity registers (perfumes, drugs, produce, hides, bamboo goods) and separate legal registers for inheritance/guardianship and protected-category regulations.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Vyavahara (Taxonomy of taxable goods; statecraft and fiscal administration)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A bustling market with stalls of perfumes and medicinal extracts, heaps of flowers, roots, fruits, leafy greens, grasses; artisans selling bamboo/reed wares and leather. In the background, a court clerk records inheritance and guardianship matters.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized bazaar with labeled goods: gandha jars, auṣadhi rasa bottles, garlands, roots and fruits, leafy greens; bamboo baskets and leather hides; a scribe in a pavilion recording dāya and bāla matters, ornate border.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted jars of perfume and medicine, richly patterned textiles on stalls, decorative bamboo wares and leather items, a regal clerk with gilded manuscript, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, catalog-like arrangement of commodity groups with clear visual separation; a small inset of legal clerk handling inheritance documents; fine linework and soft colors for instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed marketplace with merchants, apothecary bottles, garlands, produce baskets, bamboo crafts, leatherworkers; background court scene with document writing and seals, naturalistic shading."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gandha+auṣadhi+rasānām+ca → gandhauṣadhirasānāñca; puṣpa+mūla+phalasya → puṣpamūlaphalasya; strīṇām+ca+eva → strīṇāñcaiva; dvijātīnām+iti → dvijātīnāmiti; patraśākatṛṇānām+ca → patraśākatṛṇānāñca.
Related Themes: Agni Purana ch. 222 lists of taxable items and shares; continuation in v. 222.29 on specific shares for goods
FAQs
It provides a technical listing/classification of items and social/legal categories (perfumes, medicines, produce, leather, bamboo goods; plus women, dvijas, inheritance/children) to be included under administrative regulation—typically for assessment, dues, or governance rules.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana catalogs practical governance data—commodity groupings and socio-legal subjects (succession, status groups, regulated goods)—showing it functions as a compendium of statecraft, economy, and law.
By prescribing orderly regulation of trade goods and social/legal matters, it supports dharmic governance (rāja-dharma), which is traditionally held to generate merit through just administration and the protection of social order.