Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 23
Śrīrāmāvatāravarṇanam (Description of Śrī Rāma’s Incarnation) — Ayodhyā Abhiṣeka, Vanavāsa, Daśaratha’s Death, Bharata’s Regency
मुहूर्ताच्चेतनां प्राप्य कैकेयीमिदमब्रवीत् किं कृतं तव रामेण मया वा पापनिश् चये
muhūrtāccetanāṃ prāpya kaikeyīmidamabravīt kiṃ kṛtaṃ tava rāmeṇa mayā vā pāpaniś caye
ခဏအကြာတွင် သတိပြန်ရလာပြီး ကိကေယီကို ဤသို့ ပြောသည်—«ရားမက သို့မဟုတ် ငါက သင့်အပေါ် ဘာအပြစ်လုပ်ခဲ့သနည်း၊ အပြစ်ကို ဆုံးဖြတ်ထားသော မိန်းမရေ»။
Daśaratha (addressing Queen Kaikeyī)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","practical_application":"Models ethical interrogation in family/state crises: identifying unjust grievance and naming harmful intent (pāpa-niścaya) as socially destructive.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Questioning Unjust Grievance: 'What wrong did Rāma do?'","lookup_keywords":["Kaikeyī","pāpa-niścaya","aparādha","Rāma","self-examination"],"quick_summary":"On regaining consciousness, the king challenges the basis of Kaikeyī’s demand, asking what offense Rāma or he committed. The focus is on diagnosing motive and injustice rather than yielding blindly."}
Alamkara Type: Prashna (rhetorical questioning)
Concept: Before acting, inquire into the alleged harm and the demander’s intent; labeling 'pāpa-niścaya' marks willful unethical resolve.
Application: In conflicts, demand clear grounds for grievance; separate legitimate complaint from manipulative desire.
Khanda Section: Itihasa-Prasanga (Ramayana Narrative Episode)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king, newly conscious, addresses Kaikeyī with pained reproach, questioning what wrong Rāma or he has done to her.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: king propped up on couch, Kaikeyī seated sternly, expressive hand gestures of questioning, attendants in background, warm palette and stylized eyes conveying moral tension","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: seated king with raised questioning hand, Kaikeyī adorned, gold leaf on jewelry and throne details, symmetrical composition emphasizing confrontation","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined interior scene, king’s face showing sorrow and inquiry, Kaikeyī’s resolute posture, soft gradients, clear narrative focus on dialogue","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: intimate chamber, king speaking from a low seat, Kaikeyī opposite, delicate facial expressions, patterned textiles, calligraphic caption space"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मुहूर्ताच्चेतनाम् = मुहूर्तात् + चेतनाम्; कैकेयीमिदम् = कैकेयी + इदम्; इदमब्रवीत् = इदम् + अब्रवीत्; पापनिश् चये = पापनिश्चये (पाठभेद/विच्छेद-चिह्न).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma: speech ethics, anger, and counsel (general)
FAQs
No ritual procedure is taught here; the verse conveys ethical discernment—questioning the cause of hostility and highlighting the role of intention (niścaya) in wrongdoing.
It exemplifies how the Agni Purana blends narrative Itihāsa material with dharma-oriented reflection, using story-dialogue to teach moral psychology and royal household ethics alongside its many technical subjects.
It stresses that karmic fault is rooted not only in acts but in fixed harmful intention (pāpa-niścaya), implying that inner resolve drives moral consequence and spiritual decline.