Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 6
Somavaṃśa-saṃkṣepaḥ
Conclusion of the Lunar Dynasty Description
अधर्मे वर्तमानस्य विष्णुहस्तान्मृतिर्ध्रुवा दश यज्ञसहस्राणि सो ऽर्जुनः कृतवान्नृपाः
adharme vartamānasya viṣṇuhastānmṛtirdhruvā daśa yajñasahasrāṇi so 'rjunaḥ kṛtavānnṛpāḥ
അധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നവന് വിഷ്ണുവിന്റെ ഹസ്തത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മരണം നിശ്ചയം. ഹേ രാജാക്കന്മാരേ, ആ അർജുനൻ പത്തായിരം യജ്ഞങ്ങൾ നടത്തി.
Lord Agni (narrating purāṇic instruction on rāja-nīti/dharma to the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Kingship ethics: warning that persistent adharma leads to inevitable destruction; encourages rulers to align policy and conduct with dharma despite ritual prowess.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Aharma-niṣṭha’s Inevitable Death; Arjuna’s Ten Thousand Sacrifices","lookup_keywords":["adharma","Viṣṇu-hasta","mṛtyu","daśa-yajña-sahasra","rājadharma"],"quick_summary":"Ritual magnitude (many yajñas) cannot shield one who persists in adharma; divine retribution is certain. The verse juxtaposes piety-by-ritual with the necessity of righteous conduct."}
Alamkara Type: Virodha
Concept: Adharma-niṣṭhā leads to niyati-like certainty of downfall; ritual acts are subordinate to ethical alignment.
Application: For leaders: audit governance for injustice; do not use ritual/charity as cover for exploitation; prioritize protection of subjects and restraint.
Khanda Section: Rājadharma / Nīti-śāstra (Dharma–Adharma and Kingship Ethics)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king performing vast yajñas with many altars and priests, while above/behind looms Viṣṇu’s decisive hand symbolizing inevitable punishment for adharma.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, layered scene: sacrificial arena with fire altars, priests chanting; upper register shows Viṣṇu with raised hand, stern dharma-protecting gaze, strong reds and blacks.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted yajña-kuṇḍas and ornaments, Viṣṇu with luminous halo and emphasized hand gesture, symmetrical ceremonial composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear didactic split-panel: left yajña abundance, right moral consequence with Viṣṇu’s presence; fine lines and soft shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed yajña pavilion with many priests, smoke curling; a symbolic divine hand or Viṣṇu apparition in the sky, refined architectural perspective."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विष्णुहस्तात् + मृतिः → विष्णुहस्तान्मृतिः; मृतिः + ध्रुवा → मृतिर्ध्रुवा; सः + अर्जुनः → सोऽर्जुनः; कृतवान् + नृपाः → कृतवान्नृपाः
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Rajadharma/Nīti sections (general kingship ethics); Agni Purana: Yajña and dāna discussions in other didactic chapters (contextual parallels)
FAQs
It states a rāja-nīti principle: persistence in adharma leads to inevitable destruction (personified as Viṣṇu’s agency), and it references the ritual benchmark of great merit through large-scale yajña performance (ten thousand sacrifices).
It juxtaposes governance ethics (dharma/adharma and punishment) with ritual economy (yajña counts as a measure of merit), showing how the Agni Purana integrates law-and-order, theology (Viṣṇu as cosmic enforcer), and sacrificial culture within a single instructional stream.
The verse teaches that adharma brings unavoidable karmic fruition—described as death by divine agency—while sustained dharmic action, exemplified through massive yajña, is presented as a paradigm of accumulated religious merit.