Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 3
Chapter 365 — क्षत्रविट्शूद्रवर्गाः
The Classes of Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras
द्रष्टरि व्यवहाराणां प्राड्विवाकाक्षदर्शकौ भौरिकः कनकाध्यक्षो ऽथाध्यक्षाधिकृतौ समौ
draṣṭari vyavahārāṇāṃ prāḍvivākākṣadarśakau bhaurikaḥ kanakādhyakṣo 'thādhyakṣādhikṛtau samau
Pour la surveillance des affaires judiciaires, il doit y avoir le Prāḍvivāka (chef de la justice) et l’Akṣadarśaka (inspecteur/auditeur des comptes). De même, le Bhaurika (surintendant des poids et mesures) et le Kanakādhyakṣa (surintendant de l’or et du trésor) sont tenus pour équivalents en rang ; et pareillement l’Adhyakṣa et l’Adhikṛta sont égaux en statut et en autorité.
Lord Agni (in instruction to Sage Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s rajadharma/vyavahāra section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Defines oversight offices for courts, auditing, weights/measures, and treasury—useful for building accountable administration and anti-fraud controls.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Regulatory officers: Prāḍvivāka, Akṣadarśaka, Bhaurika, Kanakādhyakṣa","lookup_keywords":["prāḍvivāka","akṣadarśaka","bhaurika","kanakādhyakṣa","vyavahāra"],"quick_summary":"Names key supervisory posts for jurisprudence and fiscal regulation, emphasizing parity of rank among comparable oversight roles."}
Concept: Justice and revenue depend on institutional checks: adjudication, audit, standard measures, and guarded treasury.
Application: Create separated duties—judge, auditor, standards officer, treasury chief—to reduce corruption and ensure fair commerce.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Ancient Indian Governance and Jurisprudence)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A courthouse and treasury complex: the prāḍvivāka presides over a dispute, the akṣadarśaka audits ledgers, the bhaurika checks weights, and the kanakādhyakṣa guards gold in the treasury.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split-panel narrative: court hearing with judge and litigants; adjacent scene of auditor with palm-leaf accounts; merchant scales being inspected; treasury room with gold vessels, all in bold flat colors and temple-style ornament","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold accents on treasury objects and scales, dignified officials with insignia, architectural framing with pillars, rich costumes, embossed gold for coins and ornaments","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic multi-vignette layout showing each officer at work (court, audit, weights, gold), fine lines and gentle colors, clear role differentiation by attire and tools","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling administrative scene with scribes, scales, coin chests, and a judge on a dais, intricate detail of documents and instruments, realistic spatial depth"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prāḍvivākākṣadarśakau→prāḍvivākaḥ + akṣa-darśakaḥ (dvandva-like listing); kanakādhyakṣo→kanaka-adhyakṣaḥ; 'thādhyakṣādhikṛtau→atha adhyakṣaḥ adhikṛtaḥ; samau refers to the pair (adhyakṣa, adhikṛta).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Vyavahāra (legal procedure) discussions; Agni Purana: Rajadharma sections on revenue and officers
FAQs
It imparts administrative-juridical knowledge: the designation of key state officers for supervising litigation, auditing records/accounts, regulating weights and measures, and managing gold/treasury—along with their relative equivalence in rank.
By detailing concrete bureaucratic roles (judge, auditor, standards officer, treasury superintendent), it shows the Agni Purana functioning as a practical manual of statecraft and legal administration alongside its religious and cosmological teachings.
Upholding fair adjudication, honest accounting, and correct standards of value is treated as dharma in governance; such order reduces social harm (hiṃsā/adharma) and supports righteous rule, which is traditionally linked with collective merit and stability in the realm.