Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 62
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
दानभेदैश् चमूमुख्यान् योधान् जनपददिकान् सामान्ताटविकान् भेददण्डाभ्यामपराद्धकान्
dānabhedaiś camūmukhyān yodhān janapadadikān sāmāntāṭavikān bhedadaṇḍābhyāmaparāddhakān
Par les dons et par l’art de susciter la dissension, on doit tenir en main les chefs de l’armée, les combattants, ainsi que ceux qui sont liés aux campagnes et à leurs groupes; quant aux vassaux des frontières et aux tribus des forêts, on les traite par la division et le châtiment; ceux qui ont fauté doivent être réglés par séparation et peine.
Lord Agni (in instruction to Sage Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s rajadharma discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Statecraft: managing military chiefs, rural stakeholders, frontier vassals, and forest-tribes through calibrated conciliation, inducements, factionalization, and punishment.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Dāna–Bheda–Daṇḍa in Managing Army, Janapada, Sāmanta, and Āṭavika","lookup_keywords":["dana","bheda","danda","samanta","atavika"],"quick_summary":"Use gifts and engineered dissension to control key power-holders (army leaders, local groups, frontier vassals, forest polities). Apply division and punishment to offenders to prevent consolidation of hostile blocs."}
Concept: Rāja-nīti: stability through calibrated upāyas (inducement, division, punishment) applied to distinct constituencies.
Application: Design a governance playbook: stakeholder mapping (army, countryside, vassals, forest groups), then choose nonviolent levers first, coercion for proven offenders.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance, Statecraft, and Political Strategy)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in council directs ministers: one offers gifts to a general, another whispers to split factions; guards stand ready to punish offenders; frontier chiefs and forest-tribe envoys wait at the edge of the hall.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style royal court scene, raja on throne with ministers, stylized generals and village headmen, frontier sāmanta and āṭavika envoys, rich reds and ochres, flat decorative composition, palm-leaf manuscript aesthetic","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting of a crowned king with gold-leaf throne, ministers presenting gifts to army chief, separate group of forest envoys, ornate jewelry, architectural arch framing the court, gold work highlighting regalia","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting instructional court tableau, labeled groups (senāpati, janapada-mukhya, sāmanta, āṭavika), subtle shading, clean lines, didactic composition showing dāna, bheda, daṇḍa actions","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature durbar with detailed textiles, gift exchange to commanders, discreet intrigue between courtiers indicating bheda, guards arresting an offender, landscape margin showing forest and frontier"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: dānabhedaiś → dāna-bhedaiḥ; camūmukhyān unchanged (compound); bhedadaṇḍābhyām + aparāddhakān → bheda-daṇḍābhyām aparāddhakān (visarga/sandhi in IAST).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma/Niti sections on upāyas and daṇḍanīti (adjacent verses in the same khanda)
FAQs
It teaches rāja-nīti (political science): using dāna (inducements) and bheda (creating divisions) to manage military leadership and peripheral groups, and applying bheda plus daṇḍa (punitive force) against offenders.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance doctrine—classifying constituencies (army chiefs, warriors, countryside agents, feudatories, forest tribes) and prescribing policy tools (upāyas) for administration and security.
It frames kingship as dharmic stewardship: maintaining order and protecting subjects by proportionate means—conciliation where possible, and punishment for wrongdoing—thereby supporting loka-saṅgraha (social stability) as a duty.