Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 25
Rāja-dharma (राजधर्माः) — Protection of the Heir, Discipline, Counsel, and the Seven Limbs of the State
कृपणानाथवृद्धानां विधवानाञ्च योषितां योगक्षेमञ्च वृत्तिञ्च तथैव परिकल्पयेत्
kṛpaṇānāthavṛddhānāṃ vidhavānāñca yoṣitāṃ yogakṣemañca vṛttiñca tathaiva parikalpayet
貧しき者、頼る者なき者、老いた者、そして寡婦のために、守護と扶養とを正しく施し、同様に生計の手立ても整えるべきである。
Lord Agni (in instruction to Sage Vasiṣṭha, within Rajadharma discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Public welfare policy: establish protection, maintenance, and livelihood support for vulnerable groups (destitute, unprotected, elderly, widows).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Yoga-kṣema for the Vulnerable (Welfare and Livelihood Provision)","lookup_keywords":["kṛpaṇa","anātha","vṛddha","vidhavā","yoga-kṣema"],"quick_summary":"A ruler/administrator should ensure both security (yoga-kṣema) and sustenance/employment for socially vulnerable persons, treating welfare as a core duty of governance."}
Concept: Rājadharma includes social security: protection plus economic stability for those lacking guardianship or capacity.
Application: Create granaries/relief, pensions for the aged, safe housing and legal protection for widows, and livelihood programs for the destitute.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance, welfare, and duties of rulers/householders)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ruler or minister organizes aid: distributing food and cloth, arranging shelter, and assigning work; elderly, widows, and the destitute are shown receiving protection and livelihood support.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, compassionate court scene with attendants distributing rice and cloth, elderly and widows depicted with dignified stylization, temple-like backdrop, earthy reds/ochres","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central seated king with gold halo-like arch, gilded bowls of grain and cloth bundles, beneficiaries in orderly rows, emphasis on auspicious charity and protection","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, administrative clarity: scribe recording aid, granary in background, beneficiaries categorized (vṛddha, vidhavā, anātha), soft palette and fine outlines","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed welfare distribution in a city courtyard, textiles and food rendered meticulously, officials with registers, architectural perspective and patterned borders"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Kafi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kṛpaṇānātha-vṛddhānām is a dvandva compound; vidhavānām ca → vidhavānāñ ca; yogakṣemam ca → yogakṣemañ ca; vṛttim ca → vṛttiñ ca; tathā eva → tathāiva.
Related Themes: Agni Purana rājadharma passages on prajā-hita (public good) and daṇḍa with compassion; Agni Purana dāna-dharma guidance on supporting the needy
FAQs
It imparts Rajadharma-vidya: the administrative duty to arrange yogakṣema (security + provision) and vṛtti (sustained livelihood/maintenance) for vulnerable groups.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana also codifies practical governance—public welfare, protection of dependents, and economic maintenance—showing its wide-ranging, policy-oriented instruction.
Providing protection and livelihood to the helpless is treated as dharmic merit (puṇya): it upholds social order, reduces harm, and supports righteous rule aligned with compassion and duty.