Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 3
Śrīrāmāvatāravarṇanam (Description of Śrī Rāma’s Incarnation) — Ayodhyā Abhiṣeka, Vanavāsa, Daśaratha’s Death, Bharata’s Regency
रात्रौ त्वं सीतया सार्धं संयतः सुव्रतो भव राज्ञश् च मन्त्रिणश्चाष्टौ सवसिष्ठास् तथाब्रुवन्
rātrau tvaṃ sītayā sārdhaṃ saṃyataḥ suvrato bhava rājñaś ca mantriṇaścāṣṭau savasiṣṭhās tathābruvan
“ညအချိန်တွင် စီတာနှင့်အတူ ကိုယ်ကိုထိန်းသိမ်း၍ ကတိသစ္စာကောင်းမွန်သော အကျင့်ကို ဆောင်ရွက်လော့” ဟု မိန့်ကြား하였다။ ထိုသို့ ဝသိဋ္ဌသည် မင်းနှင့် မန္တရိရှစ်ဦးတို့နှင့်အတူ ပြောကြား하였다။
Vasiṣṭha (with the king and eight ministers/counselors)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Personal discipline for rulers: night-time restraint, vrata-like conduct, and governance through counsel of purohita and ministers.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Raja-Niyama: Ratri-Samyama and Mantri-Parishad Counsel","lookup_keywords":["ratri-samyama","suvrata","Sita-sahita","Vasistha","ashta-mantrin"],"quick_summary":"A ruler should maintain disciplined conduct (especially in private hours) and act in alignment with the purohita and a structured council of ministers."}
Concept: Indriya-nigraha (self-control) as the foundation of rajadharma; governance as guided by guru and collective counsel.
Application: Leaders should set personal boundaries, maintain ethical routines, and institutionalize decision-making via trusted councils.
Khanda Section: Ramopakhyana / Itihasa-narrative (Dharma and royal counsel)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Shringara
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vasistha advising Rama: maintain restraint at night with Sita; king and eight ministers present in a formal council setting.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Vasistha with white beard and staff, Rama and Sita seated modestly, Dasharatha and eight ministers in symmetrical rows, warm lamp-lit night ambience, stylized lotus borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Vasistha central with gold halo, Rama-Sita attentive, ministers flanking, rich gold ornamentation, palace interior with lamps indicating night discipline.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic council scene, emphasis on gestures of instruction and attentive listening, soft lighting, detailed faces and textiles.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: intimate night-council with oil lamps, Vasistha instructing, Rama and Sita composed, ministers seated on carpets, architectural niches and fine detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मन्त्रिणश्चाष्टौ = मन्त्रिणः + च + अष्टौ; सवसिष्ठास् = स + वसिष्ठाः; तथाब्रुवन् = तथा + अब्रुवन्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma: ministerial council and king’s daily regimen; Agni Purana Dharma passages on vrata/samyama
FAQs
It imparts practical dharmic discipline (saṃyama) and suvrata observance—an instruction in ethical self-restraint rather than a specialized ritual or medical procedure.
Alongside ritual, tantra, medicine, and warfare, the Agni Purana also preserves rajadharma and conduct-literature; this verse exemplifies governance-oriented moral counsel delivered through an Itihasa-style narrative frame.
Nighttime restraint and disciplined observance are presented as protective dharma: they curb sense-impulses, preserve moral purity, and support merit (puṇya) through controlled conduct.