Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 16
Chapter 237 — Rāma’s Teaching on Nīti (रामोक्तनीतिः)
देवास्ते प्रियवक्तारः पशवः क्रूरवादिनः शुचिरास्तिक्यपूतात्मा पूजयेद्देवताः सदा
devāste priyavaktāraḥ paśavaḥ krūravādinaḥ śucirāstikyapūtātmā pūjayeddevatāḥ sadā
神々とは、喜ばしい言葉を語る者であり、獣とは、荒々しい言葉を語る者である。清浄にして、聖なるものへの信によって自己を浄めた者は、常に神々を礼拝すべきである。
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s didactic narration)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Puja-vidhi","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Cultivate pleasant speech as a marker of daiva-svabhava and maintain purity and faith as prerequisites for daily worship.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Daiva vs Pāśava Speech and the Qualification for Worship","lookup_keywords":["devata","priyavakta","kruravada","shauca","astikya"],"quick_summary":"Pleasant speech is characterized as divine, harsh speech as beast-like; with purity and faith-purified mind one should worship the deities regularly."}
Alamkara Type: Rupaka/identificatory metaphor (gods = pleasant-speakers; beasts = harsh-speakers)
Concept: Inner purity (śauca) and faith (āstikya) refine the self and make worship efficacious; speech reflects one’s spiritual nature.
Application: Before pūjā: bathe/cleanse, steady mind with faith, avoid harsh words at home/temple; adopt priyavacana as daily vrata-like discipline.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Devata-puja, Sadachara and ritual conduct)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee, freshly purified, offering flowers and lamp to a deity while speaking gently; in contrast, a harsh-speaking figure is shown as animal-like in demeanor.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple interior with lamp and flower offerings, devotee with serene face and folded hands, visual contrast panel showing a coarse harsh-speaker with animalistic posture, bold traditional colors","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, deity on pedestal with gold embellishments, devotee performing pūjā with clean vessels, inscriptions-like emphasis on priyavacana, ornate arch and gold work","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, detailed pūjā setup (kalasha, lamp, flowers), devotee depicted with calm expression and speech gesture, soft shading, instructional clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate shrine scene with fine objects (incense, lamp), devotee respectfully offering, a secondary vignette of a quarrelsome harsh speaker outside, architectural detail"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: devāḥ+te→devāste; śuciḥ+āstikya…→śucirāstikya…; pūjayet+devatāḥ→pūjayeddevatāḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana pūjā-vidhi sections (devatā-pūjā, śauca, ācāra); Agni Purana 237 (sadācāra continuity)
FAQs
It prescribes a core rule of puja-vidhi and sadachara: maintain purity (śauca), cultivate āstikya (reverent faith), and perform continual devatā-pūjā; it also gives a behavioral marker—pleasant speech—as a sign of the “deva-like” disposition.
Alongside ritual procedures, the Agni Purana catalogues practical dharma in daily life—here linking ethics of speech with eligibility and inner fitness for worship—showing how the text integrates conduct (sadachara) with ritual (puja-vidhi).
Pleasant, non-cruel speech is treated as a divine quality that purifies the worshipper’s inner state; combined with śauca and āstikya, it supports merit (puṇya) and steadiness in devotional practice through constant worship.