Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 1
Adhyaya 222 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharmāḥ): Duties of Kings (Administrative Order, Protection, and Revenue Ethics
आग्नेये महापुराणे राजधर्मो नाम एकविंशत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः तान्न हिंस्याद्यदैव तु इति ज सत्यवान् सुव्रतेन चेति घ , ञ च अथ द्वाविंशत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः राजधर्माः पुष्कर उवाच ग्रामस्याधिपतिं कुर्याद्दशग्रामाधिपं नृपः शतग्रामाधिपञ्चान्यं तथैव विषयेश्वरं
āgneye mahāpurāṇe rājadharmo nāma ekaviṃśatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ tānna hiṃsyādyadaiva tu iti ja satyavān suvratena ceti gha , ña ca atha dvāviṃśatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ rājadharmāḥ puṣkara uvāca grāmasyādhipatiṃ kuryāddaśagrāmādhipaṃ nṛpaḥ śatagrāmādhipañcānyaṃ tathaiva viṣayeśvaraṃ
आग्नेय महापुराण में ‘राजधर्म’ नामक अध्याय (२२१) आरम्भ होता है; पाठ-चिह्न आदि भी हैं। फिर ‘राजधर्माः’ नामक अध्याय (२२२) आरम्भ होता है। पुष्कर बोले—राजा एक गाँव का अधिपति, दस गाँवों का अधीक्षक, सौ गाँवों का अधीक्षक, और उसी प्रकार विषय (जिले) का ईश्वर/राज्यपाल नियुक्त करे।
Puṣkara
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Design a tiered administrative structure: village head, supervisor over ten villages, supervisor over a hundred villages, and district governor; clarifies chain of command and accountability.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Grāma–Daśa–Śata–Viṣaya Administrative Hierarchy","lookup_keywords":["grāmādhipati","daśagrāmādhipa","śatagrāmādhipa","viṣayeśvara","rājadharma"],"quick_summary":"The verse enumerates a graded bureaucracy from village to district. It provides a scalable template for governance, revenue, and dispute escalation."}
Concept: Order (krama) and delegated authority (adhikāra) are instruments of dharma-protection; governance is a structured craft, not mere personal power.
Application: Create clear jurisdictions, written mandates, reporting lines, and defined responsibilities for each level to prevent overlap and corruption.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance and Political Administration)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A schematic portrayal of governance: a central king with four tiers of officials radiating outward—village headmen, ten-village officers, hundred-village officers, and district governors—each holding seals or palm-leaf orders.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized diagrammatic court: king at center, four labeled groups of officials in symmetric arrangement, palm-leaf documents, muted temple colors, clear hierarchy through placement","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, king enthroned with gold arch, four ranks of officers in rows, each with insignia and scrolls, heavy gold detailing to emphasize authority and order","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional administrative chart rendered as a narrative scene: king issuing appointments, scribes writing, officials receiving seals, clean lines and legible hierarchy","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, appointment ceremony in a palace hall, officials of different ranks distinguished by attire and turbans, detailed paperwork and seals, balanced composition"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: mahāpurāṇe (karmadhāraya); ekaviṃśatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ → ekaviṃśaty-adhika-dviśatatamaḥ adhyāyaḥ; tānna → tān na; hiṃsyādyadaiva → hiṃsyāt yadā eva; dvāviṃśatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ similarly resolved; grāmasyādhipatim → grāmasya adhipatim; kuryāddaśa- → kuryāt daśa-; śatagrāmādhipañcānyaṃ → śata-grāma-adhipam ca anyam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Adhyāya 222 (continuation: emoluments, inspection, dispute escalation)
FAQs
It outlines a tiered administrative hierarchy: village head (grāmādhipati), officer over ten villages, officer over a hundred villages, and a district governor (viṣayeśvara) for territorial governance.
Beyond ritual and theology, it preserves practical statecraft—showing how kings were advised to organize local administration, revenue oversight, and governance through layered jurisdictions.
Proper appointment of just administrators is treated as part of rājadharma: it supports protection of subjects, orderly justice, and the king’s merit (puṇya) through righteous rule.