Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 12
Chapter 237 — Rāma’s Teaching on Nīti (रामोक्तनीतिः)
इति वृत्तं सतां साधुहितं सत्पुरुषव्रतं आधिव्याधिपरीताय अद्य श्वो वा विनाशिने
iti vṛttaṃ satāṃ sādhuhitaṃ satpuruṣavrataṃ ādhivyādhiparītāya adya śvo vā vināśine
Demikianlah laku orang saleh—bermanfaat bagi para bajik, disiplin-vrata para mulia—yang patut dijalankan bahkan oleh orang yang dilanda duka batin dan penyakit, yang mungkin binasa hari ini atau esok.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Motivational ethical teaching: practice noble conduct urgently, especially under illness, anxiety, and life’s uncertainty; used in sermons and niti instruction.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Sadācāra as Urgent Practice under Ādhi (Mental Distress) and Vyādhi (Disease)","lookup_keywords":["sadācāra","satāṃ vṛtta","ādhi","vyādhi","anityatā"],"quick_summary":"Frames good conduct as a beneficial discipline for the virtuous, to be practiced even when afflicted by mental distress and disease, given life’s uncertainty. Practical takeaway: ethical living is not postponed; it is most needed in crisis."}
Alamkara Type: Arthāntaranyāsa (reasoned reinforcement)
Concept: Anityatā (uncertainty of life) as impetus for sadācāra; ethical discipline as inner vow (vrata) sustaining one amid suffering.
Application: Use as daily reflection: ‘today or tomorrow’ mortality contemplation to prioritize reconciliation, charity, and disciplined living even during illness.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Niti/Didactic Praise of Sadachara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sick person on a simple bed, attended by family, listens to a sage teaching noble conduct; a subtle motif of passing time (sunset and dawn) indicates ‘today or tomorrow’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, compassionate rishi near a reclining patient, attendants with water pot and fan, background with stylized sun and moon to show fleeting time; calm expressions, earthy pigments, lotus borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central sage with gold halo blessing an ailing devotee, ornate gold detailing on textiles, symbolic hourglass or lamp, inscription of ‘ādhi-vyādhi’ and ‘satpuruṣa-vrata’.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional scene with labeled panels: ādhi (mind) and vyādhi (body), the sage pointing to a scroll of sadācāra; soft palette, fine lines, emphasis on didactic clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate interior with patterned carpets, a physician-like attendant and a scholar-sage, the patient contemplative; delicate rendering of dawn light through a window, calligraphic cartouche about anityatā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: आधिव्याधिपरीताय = आधि + व्याधि + परीताय (समास/सन्धि); ‘अद्य श्वो वा’ = ‘today or tomorrow’ (कालविकल्प)।
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Sadācāra / Nīti passages in the same chapter; Agni Purana: Dāna and vrata sections emphasizing urgency and merit
FAQs
It imparts sadvṛtta-vidyā—practical dharmic discipline (satpuruṣa-vrata) emphasizing right conduct as an immediately applicable regimen even during illness or mental distress.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and poetics, the Agni Purana also codifies ethical practice; this verse functions as a concise rubric stating that moral discipline remains relevant in crisis, completing the text’s all-round instruction for life.
It teaches urgency in dharma: since life is uncertain (“today or tomorrow”), adopting the conduct of the good is presented as spiritually meritorious and purifying even when one is weakened by anxiety and disease.