Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 54
Chapter 226 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharma: Royal Duties and Daṇḍanīti
तेषां च्छित्वा नृपो हस्तौ तीक्ष्णे शूले निवेशयेत् तडागदेवतागारभेदकान् घातयेन्नृपः
teṣāṃ cchitvā nṛpo hastau tīkṣṇe śūle niveśayet taḍāgadevatāgārabhedakān ghātayennṛpaḥ
त्यांचे हात छाटून राजा त्यांना तीक्ष्ण शूळावर चढवावा. तसेच तळे/जलाशय आणि देवतागृह/मंदिर फोडणाऱ्यांना राजा मृत्युदंड द्यावा.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purana narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Penal policy for severe crimes: exemplary punishment for thieves and for those who damage public waterworks and temples; deterrence and protection of civic-religious infrastructure.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Capital/maiming penalties for theft and for breaking tanks and deity-houses","lookup_keywords":["hasta-ccheda","shula","tadaga-bheda","devata-agara-bheda","ghatana"],"quick_summary":"Prescribes extreme punishments—hand-cutting and impalement for certain thieves, and death for those who damage reservoirs or break into temples—prioritizing deterrence and protection of public works and sacred property."}
Weapon Type: Shula (stake/impalement implement) as punitive instrument, not battlefield weaponry
Concept: Protection of dharma through safeguarding water resources and temples; punishment as deterrent for adharma.
Application: Prioritize security for reservoirs and temples; treat sabotage and sacrilege as highest-order crimes.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance, Penal Law, Protection of Public Works and Temples)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Civic infrastructure
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king orders harsh punishment: thieves with severed hands, a sharp stake prepared; separately, guards protect a reservoir and a temple from vandals/break-in offenders.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, symbolic justice scene: king with raised hand of command, execution stake (shula) depicted iconically, guards restraining criminals; in background a temple gateway and a large stepped tank, saturated reds/ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf palace arch framing the king, stylized stake and guards, temple and tank rendered as auspicious protected icons, heavy ornamentation and bold color blocks.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, narrative split-panel: left—court pronouncing sentence; right—protected tank and shrine with guards; delicate lines, muted palette, clarity of civic-sacred assets.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed cityscape with tank embankment and temple compound, royal officers enforcing law, realistic figures, careful depiction of architecture and water surface."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: च्छित्वा = छित्वा with external sandhi after teṣāṃ; तडागदेवतागारभेदकान् is a multi-member तत्पुरुष compound.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 226 (penal gradations; protection of roads, public works, and sacred sites)
FAQs
It imparts rāja-nīti/raja-dharma guidance: the king must protect public water infrastructure (taḍāgas) and sacred buildings (devatāgāras) through severe penal measures against those who breach or damage them.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana also codifies practical governance—criminal penalties, protection of civic utilities, and safeguarding temples—showing its broad coverage of law, administration, and public order.
Damaging tanks and temples is treated as both a social harm and a sacrilege; the severity signals that such acts generate grave demerit (pāpa), and the king’s punishment is framed as dharmic protection of sacred and life-sustaining communal resources.