Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 20
Ṣāḍguṇya — The Six Measures of Foreign Policy
with Rāja-maṇḍala Theory
किञ्चित्फलं निष्फलं वा सन्दिग्धफलमेव च तदात्वे दोषजननमायत्याञ्चैव निष्फलं
kiñcitphalaṃ niṣphalaṃ vā sandigdhaphalameva ca tadātve doṣajananamāyatyāñcaiva niṣphalaṃ
Suatu perbuatan kadang berbuah sedikit, kadang tanpa hasil, atau hanya hasil yang meragukan; ia segera menimbulkan cela, dan pada masa depan pun terbukti tidak berbuah.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Decision-making filter for rulers: avoid actions with low/zero/uncertain payoff that generate immediate blame and long-term futility; prioritize well-assessed, high-certainty policies.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Niṣphala–Sandigdha-phala Karma and Immediate/Future Faults","lookup_keywords":["sandigdha phala","niṣphala karma","tadātva doṣa","āyati niṣphala","policy risk"],"quick_summary":"Acts with small, nil, or uncertain results tend to create immediate defects and later prove fruitless. The teaching urges outcome-certainty and cost–fault awareness before acting."}
Concept: Karma-phala-viveka: weigh fruit (phala) against doṣa (fault/cost) across time (present and future).
Application: Adopt a counsel protocol: estimate payoff magnitude and certainty; if uncertain/low, anticipate reputational, legal, and social doṣas and refrain or redesign the act.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Karmaphala (Ethics of action and results; decision-making and consequences)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A minister presents three scrolls labeled ‘small fruit’, ‘no fruit’, and ‘doubtful fruit’ while pointing to two columns ‘immediate fault’ and ‘future futility’; the king pauses before issuing an order.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural of a palace council, minister holding palm-leaf charts of phala and doṣa, king contemplative, balanced composition, subdued śānta palette with traditional ornamentation","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style king and minister with gold-leaf highlights, symbolic scales weighing ‘phala’ vs ‘doṣa’, ornate frame, rich jewel tones","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting didactic diagram scene: decision table on a manuscript, minister instructing prince, fine detailing, soft gradients, emphasis on text labels tadātva/āyati","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a consultation chamber, detailed papers and seals, a balance scale motif, attendants, precise architectural perspective"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: किञ्चित्फलम् = किञ्चित् + फलम्; सन्दिग्धफलम् = सन्दिग्ध + फलम्; दोषजननमायत्याम् = दोषजननम् + आयत्याम्; आयत्याञ्चैव = आयत्याम् + च + एव.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma counsel on deliberation (mantra) and avoidance of rash acts; Agni Purana Karmaphala discussions on immediate vs deferred results
FAQs
It teaches karmaphala-viveka: avoid actions whose outcomes are minimal, doubtful, or nil, because they generate doṣa (harmful fault/demerit) immediately and fail to yield lasting benefit.
Alongside rituals, polity, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also systematizes practical ethics—here giving a rule for evaluating actions by expected outcome and moral cost, a core component of Rajadharma and conduct literature.
Spiritually, it warns that pursuing uncertain or non-beneficial acts accrues doṣa and wastes one’s effort; karmically, such choices do not mature into auspicious phala and can bind the agent through negative consequences.