Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 6
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
मदः प्रमादः कामश् च सुप्तप्रलपितानि च भिन्दन्ति मन्त्रं प्रच्छन्नाः कामिन्यो रमतान्तथा
madaḥ pramādaḥ kāmaś ca suptapralapitāni ca bhindanti mantraṃ pracchannāḥ kāminyo ramatāntathā
မူးယစ်ခြင်း၊ မသတိမထားခြင်း၊ ကာမလိုလားခြင်း၊ ထို့ပြင် အိပ်နေစဉ် ပြောထွက်သည့် စကားများသည် လျှို့ဝှက်အကြံ (မန္တရ) ကို ချိုးဖောက်၍ ဖော်ထုတ်စေသည်။ ထိုနည်းတူ ပျော်ပါးမှု၌ လွန်ကဲသူတို့အတွက် လျှို့ဝှက်လှည့်ကွက်ရှိသော ချစ်သူမိန်းမများလည်း ထိုအကြံကို ပျက်စီးစေတတ်သည်။
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, in the standard Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Maintain confidentiality protocols: avoid intoxication, negligence, lust-driven indiscretion, and uncontrolled speech (including sleep-talk); restrict access to sensitive counsel and manage honey-trap risks.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Protection of Secret Counsel (Mantra-raksha)","lookup_keywords":["mantra-bheda (breach)","mada (intoxication)","pramada (heedlessness)","kama (lust)","supta-pralapita (sleep-talk)"],"quick_summary":"Secret counsel is destroyed by intoxication, carelessness, lust, and uncontrolled speech—even in sleep—along with entanglement in covert seduction. Discipline and access-control preserve state secrets."}
Concept: Indriya-nigraha (sense-control) and apramada (non-negligence) as ethical-political necessities; private vice becomes public harm through betrayal of trust.
Application: Adopt personal vows and institutional rules: sobriety during duty, restricted intimacy near sensitive operations, and disciplined speech.
Khanda Section: Niti-shastra / Rajadharma (Conduct, counsel, and political-ethical instruction)
Primary Rasa: Bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: Veera
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A secret council is shown being 'cracked' by vices: a drunken official spilling words, a careless minister leaving a scroll open, a lustful courtier distracted by a concealed seductress, and a sleeper murmuring while a spy listens.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic cautionary tableau—four vices personified around a sealed scroll; a shadowy spy figure at the edge; strong outlines, deep reds/browns, moralizing temple-mural narrative style.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central golden sealed manuscript (mantra) with four surrounding scenes in gold frames—intoxication, heedlessness, lust, sleep-talk; ornate gold work, jewel tones, symbolic clarity.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional sequence with clear panels; each panel shows one breach vector and a corrective (closed box, guard, sober posture); fine linework, soft colors, didactic layout.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: intimate palace interiors with detailed textiles; a spy behind a jali screen; a sleeping courtier murmuring; a wine cup and open scroll as evidence; nuanced expressions and lighting."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कामश् च → कामः + च; सुप्तप्रलपितानि → सुप्त + प्रलपितानि (द्वन्द्व); रमतान्तथा → रमता + अन्यथा (IAST shows ramatāntathā; taken as ramatā + anyathā).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Rajadharma material on secrecy, spies, and ministerial conduct (contextual)
FAQs
It imparts niti (statecraft) guidance: protect confidential counsel (mantra) by avoiding intoxication, negligence, lust, and careless speech (including sleep-talk), and by not trusting covert temptations that lead to disclosure.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves practical governance and ethical counsel—here, a concise doctrine of information security and disciplined conduct in political decision-making.
It stresses mastery over the senses and speech; guarding secrets through restraint reduces harm caused by negligence and desire, aligning conduct with dharma and preventing destructive consequences for oneself and others.