Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 18
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
इत्यमात्यस्य कर्मेदं हन्ति सव्यसनान्वितः हिरण्यधान्यवस्त्राणि वाहनं प्रजया भवेत्
ityamātyasya karmedaṃ hanti savyasanānvitaḥ hiraṇyadhānyavastrāṇi vāhanaṃ prajayā bhavet
अशा प्रकारे अमात्याचे हे कर्तव्य सांगितले आहे. जो व्यसनांनी ग्रस्त असतो तो आपले कार्य नष्ट करतो; परिणामी सुवर्ण, धान्य, वस्त्रे, वाहने आणि संततीही गमावतो।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Ethics and eligibility screening for ministers: avoid appointing/retaining vice-addicted officials; institute audits and conduct codes to prevent loss of state resources and personal ruin.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Amātya-ācāra: Ministerial Conduct and the Cost of Vices","lookup_keywords":["amātya","vyasana","hiraṇya","dhānya","vāhana","prajā/putra"],"quick_summary":"A minister entangled in vices becomes destructive and ultimately loses wealth, supplies, status-symbols, and even family continuity—hence character is a state asset."}
Concept: Vyasana (addictive vice) is adharma that corrodes both personal and public trust; office requires self-mastery.
Application: Adopt conduct rules: sobriety, anti-corruption measures, periodic review of lifestyle vs. income, and removal for persistent vice.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance, Ministers, and Statecraft)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A minister tempted by vices (drink, gambling, illicit indulgence) while state assets slip away—gold, grain stores, garments, chariots—ending with a ruined household and empty treasury ledgers.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split narrative: left—minister in courtly attire succumbing to vyasana; right—empty granary, scattered coins, broken chariot, grieving family; bold outlines, symbolic props, traditional interiors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central figure of minister with fading halo-like prestige, gold-foil coins and ornaments shown slipping from hands, miniature scenes of granary depletion and lost vehicles; ornate border, saturated colors.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic sequence panels: 'vyasana' leading to loss of hiraṇya, dhānya, vastra, vāhana, prajā; fine linework, captions on scrolls, calm but cautionary tone.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate interior with gambling/drinking, accountants presenting deficit scrolls, servants departing, family in distress; meticulous textiles, realistic expressions, architectural depth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kharaharapriya","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इत्यामात्यस्य = इति + अमात्यस्य. कर्मेदं = कर्म + इदम्. सव्यसनान्वितः = स-व्यसन-अन्वितः. हिरण्यधान्यवस्त्राणि = हिरण्य + धान्य + वस्त्राणि (द्वन्द्व).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rājadharma sections on amātya-lakṣaṇa, kośa-śuddhi, daṇḍa for corruption
FAQs
It gives a governance principle: a minister who is addicted to vyasanas (vices such as gambling, intoxication, lust, etc.) becomes administratively ineffective and brings ruin upon himself, including loss of wealth and family stability.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves rajadharma—practical guidance on political administration and ministerial ethics—showing it functions as a multi-disciplinary manual of public life and moral governance.
The verse frames vice as self-destructive karma: unethical conduct in public duty leads to tangible decline—loss of resources and lineage—underscoring that dharmic self-control sustains both worldly success and moral order.