Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 6
Adhyaya 222 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharmāḥ): Duties of Kings (Administrative Order, Protection, and Revenue Ethics
विशेषो नास्ति लोकेषे पतितस्याधनस्य च पतितान्न तु गृह्णन्ति दरिद्रो न प्रयच्छति
viśeṣo nāsti lokeṣe patitasyādhanasya ca patitānna tu gṛhṇanti daridro na prayacchati
जगतात पतित आणि निर्धन यांत विशेष भेद नाही. लोक पतिताकडून काही स्वीकारत नाहीत आणि दरिद्री माणूस दान देऊ शकत नाही.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Social ethics and policy: prevent poverty and social fall through welfare, employment, and rehabilitation; recognize how loss of wealth collapses social credit and charitable capacity.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Social Consequences of Poverty and Fall","lookup_keywords":["daridra","patita","dana","social-status","niti"],"quick_summary":"The verse notes a harsh social reality: the fallen and the poor are treated similarly—people refuse the fallen, and the poor cannot give—highlighting the need for social support and moral rehabilitation."}
Alamkara Type: Arthantaranyasa / Niti-vakya (gnomic maxim)
Concept: Dana and social honor depend on capacity and trust; poverty erodes agency, while moral fall erodes acceptability—both require corrective dharmic action by society/king.
Application: Create mechanisms for the poor to earn and give (work, fair wages, grain banks) and for the fallen to be reformed (prayaschitta, reintegration) so social bonds are restored.
Khanda Section: Rājadharma / Nīti-śāstra (Ethics of society, charity, and social conduct)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two figures at society’s edge: a 'patita' being turned away and a poor person with empty hands unable to offer charity; a neutral observer (king/judge) contemplating policy.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, village/court threshold scene: townspeople refusing offerings from a disheveled 'patita'; nearby a poor householder with empty bowl, muted palette with expressive eyes, moral-didactic framing.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central dharma-king figure with gold halo-like arch, two side panels: one showing rejection of a fallen man, another showing a poor donor with empty hands; ornate borders, symbolic clarity.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional composition with labeled figures 'patita' and 'daridra', the king’s minister holding a scroll of welfare measures; soft colors, fine linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, street and court vignette: a petitioner refused at a doorway, and a poor man unable to give alms to a mendicant; detailed textiles, restrained emotion, social realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: न+अस्ति→नास्ति; पतितस्य+अधनस्य→पतितस्याधनस्य; पतितान्+न→पतितान्न
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma passages on dana, punishment, and social order; Agni Purana sections on prayaschitta (atonements) where 'patita' is treated
FAQs
It conveys nīti (practical ethics): social behavior around dāna (charity) and reputation—people refuse gifts from the disgraced, while poverty limits one’s ability to give.
Alongside rituals and theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves social ethics and statecraft (rājadharma/nīti), documenting how wealth, status, and moral standing affect social exchange and charity.
It highlights how adharma (fall from right conduct) and daridratā (poverty) both obstruct dāna and social reciprocity, implying that maintaining conduct and supporting the needy sustains merit and social harmony.