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
ദരിദ്രർ, അനാഥർ, വൃദ്ധർ, വിധവസ്ത്രീകൾ എന്നിവർക്കായി യഥോചിതമായ സംരക്ഷണവും ക്ഷേമവും, പോഷണവും, അതുപോലെ ഉപജീവന മാർഗങ്ങളും ശരിയായി ഒരുക്കണം.
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.