Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 11
Adhyaya 223 — Rājadharmāḥ
Royal Duties: Inner Palace Governance, Trivarga Protection, Courtly Conduct, and Aromatic/Hygienic Sciences
कामाधरा इति घ , ञ च लज्जाधिकारे इति ख , छ च सुवासिका इति क द्विष्टान्याचक्षते इति ञ न पश्यत्यग्रदत्तन्त्वित्यादिः, मित्रेष्वथ पराङ्मुखीत्यन्तः पाठः ज पुस्तके नास्ति स्त्रियं व्रजेदिति घ , ञ च दृश्यमना तथान्यत्र दृष्टिं क्षिपति चञ्चलां तथाप्युपावर्तयितुं नैव शक्नोत्यशेषतः
kāmādharā iti gha , ña ca lajjādhikāre iti kha , cha ca suvāsikā iti ka dviṣṭānyācakṣate iti ña na paśyatyagradattantvityādiḥ, mitreṣvatha parāṅmukhītyantaḥ pāṭhaḥ ja pustake nāsti striyaṃ vrajediti gha , ña ca dṛśyamanā tathānyatra dṛṣṭiṃ kṣipati cañcalāṃ tathāpyupāvartayituṃ naiva śaknotyaśeṣataḥ
‘കാമാധരാ’—ഘ, ഞ പാണ്ഡുലിപികളിലെ പാഠം; ‘ലജ്ജാധികാരേ’—ഖ, ഛ പാഠം; ‘സുവാസികാ’—ക പാഠം; ‘ദ്വിഷ്ടാന്യാചക്ഷതേ’—ഞ പാഠം. ‘…ന പശ്യതി…’ (‘അഗ്രദത്തന്ത്വ…’ മുതലായവയിൽ ആരംഭിക്കുന്ന) പാഠം രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു; ‘മിത്രേഷ്വഥ പരാങ്മുഖീ…’ എന്ന അന്ത്യപാഠം ജ പാണ്ഡുലിപിയിൽ ഇല്ല. ‘സ്ത്രിയം വ്രജേത്’—ഘ, ഞ പാഠം. അർത്ഥം: കാണപ്പെടുന്നിട്ടും അവൾ അസ്ഥിരമായി ദൃഷ്ടി മറ്റിടത്തേക്ക് എറിയുന്നു; എങ്കിലും അതിനെ പൂർണ്ണമായി പിൻവലിക്കാനാവുന്നില്ല.
Lord Agni (traditional frame: Agni instructing Vasiṣṭha; here the verse is largely a textual/recensional note within the Sahitya-shastra passage)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Nayika-bheda identification for kavya composition and dramaturgical characterization; also illustrates textual criticism via variant readings.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Nayika-lakshana: Cañcala-dṛṣṭi (restless glance) with pāṭha-bheda notes","lookup_keywords":["nāyikā-bheda","cañcala-dṛṣṭi","lajjā-adhikāra","pāṭha-bheda","manuscript readings"],"quick_summary":"Defines a heroine’s behavioral sign: even when watched she throws her gaze elsewhere and cannot fully restrain it; the passage also preserves manuscript variant readings useful for establishing the text."}
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya/Alankara: Nayika-bheda and behavioral traits)
Primary Rasa: Śṛṅgāra
Secondary Rasa: Hāsya
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A heroine, under observation, repeatedly casts her eyes sideways and away, unable to keep her gaze steady; attendants or a friend notice her telltale glances.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, elegant nāyikā with expressive eyes, subtle abhinaya, warm earthy palette, ornate jewelry, companion sakhī observing her restless sideways glances, classical interior setting","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, nāyikā with large almond eyes looking aside, rich silk garments, heavy gold ornaments and gold-leaf highlights, palace interior, sakhī nearby, emphasis on facial expression and gaze","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, refined linework and soft shading, close-up focus on eye movement and hand gesture of modesty, minimal background, instructional feel showing ‘cañcala-dṛṣṭi’","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly chamber scene, heroine seated with attendants, detailed textiles, she glances away while being watched, delicate profile and expressive eyes, fine architectural borders"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Verse text contains extensive critical-apparatus prose; analyzed the metrical sentence segment: dṛśyamānā tathā anyatra dṛṣṭiṃ kṣipati cañcalāṃ tathā api upāvartayitum na eva śaknoti aśeṣataḥ. Sandhi: tathānyatra→tathā anyatra; tathāpyupāvartayitum→tathā api upāvartayitum; naiva→na eva; śaknotyaśeṣataḥ→śaknoti aśeṣataḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sahitya-śāstra sections on nāyikā-bheda and lajjā-adhikāra (same khanda context)
FAQs
This is Sahitya-shastra (poetics/dramaturgy) and textual tradition: it records variant readings across manuscripts and gives a behavioral marker of a heroine—her restless, sideward glance that cannot be fully restrained even when watched.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves Kavya-shastra material (nāyikā-bheda) and even reflects a living transmission history through manuscript variants—showing it functions as a compendium of literary theory as well as a text with documented recensions.
The passage is primarily aesthetic/psychological rather than ritual-karmic: it refines discernment (viveka) of emotions and conduct in literature, supporting dharmic cultivation through nuanced understanding of modesty, desire, and self-control as portrayed in classical narratives.