Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 5
Rāja-dharma (राजधर्माः) — Protection of the Heir, Discipline, Counsel, and the Seven Limbs of the State
दिवास्वप्नं वृथाट्याञ्च वाक्पारुष्यं विवर्जयेत् निन्दाञ्च दण्डपारुष्यमर्थदूषणमुत्सृजेत्
divāsvapnaṃ vṛthāṭyāñca vākpāruṣyaṃ vivarjayet nindāñca daṇḍapāruṣyamarthadūṣaṇamutsṛjet
Hendaklah dijauhi tidur pada siang hari, merayau tanpa tujuan, dan kekasaran tutur kata; dan hendaklah ditinggalkan juga fitnah, kekejaman dalam hukuman, serta penyelewengan harta (penyalahgunaan kekayaan).
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Personal and administrative ethics: avoid laziness and idle wandering; maintain civil speech; prohibit slander, excessive punishment, and financial corruption.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Sadācāra-tyājya (Conduct to be avoided): idleness, harsh speech, slander, cruel punishment, wealth-corruption","lookup_keywords":["divāsvapna","vṛthāṭyā","vākpāruṣya","nindā","arthadūṣaṇa"],"quick_summary":"Avoid daytime sleeping, purposeless roaming, and harsh speech; also abandon slander, cruelty in punishment, and corruption/misuse of wealth."}
Dosha: Kapha
Concept: Śama (self-control) in body, speech, and power: avoid idleness, verbal violence, and misuse of authority/wealth.
Application: Adopt daily discipline; implement codes of conduct for officials; ensure proportional punishment; establish transparent accounting to prevent arthadūṣaṇa.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Sadachara (Ethics and Right Conduct)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A disciplined person rejects a bed at midday, avoids idle street-wandering, speaks gently; a judge/king restrains excessive punishment and prevents embezzlement.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split-panel narrative: left shows man pushing away a daytime bed and turning from idle strolling; center shows gentle speech gesture; right shows king stopping a harsh flogging and sealing a treasury chest against theft, ornate borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, moral tableau with gold-leaf accents: calm speaker with palm raised in gentle counsel, scales of justice beside king moderating punishment, treasury chest with intact seal, rich reds and greens","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic scene with clear objects: bed labeled divāsvapna, street labeled vṛthāṭyā, scroll labeled nindā, judge moderating daṇḍa, accountant returning coins to treasury, fine linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, city and court vignettes: man refusing midday rest, avoiding gossiping group, qazi-like judge preventing excessive beating, clerk caught returning misappropriated coins, detailed architecture"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: divāsvapnaṃ = divā + svapnam; vṛthāṭyāñca = vṛthā-aṭyām + ca; nindāñca = nindām + ca; arthadūṣaṇamutsṛjet = artha-dūṣaṇam + utsṛjet.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sadācāra/Rājadharma passages on speech-ethics, daṇḍa, and treasury protection
FAQs
It imparts nīti/sadācāra guidelines for personal and administrative discipline—avoid day-sleep and idle roaming, restrain harsh speech, and reject slander, cruel punitive behavior, and financial corruption.
Alongside ritual and devotional topics, the Agni Purana also preserves practical statecraft and moral instruction (rajadharma), including speech-ethics, proportional punishment, and anti-corruption norms—broadening it into a handbook of social governance.
Avoiding abusive speech, slander, cruelty, and corrupt gain reduces pāpa (demerit) generated through harm to others and unrighteous livelihood, supporting inner purity and dharmic merit through self-restraint and just conduct.