Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 40
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
जितश्रमार्थं मृगयां विचरेद्रक्षिते वने धर्मार्थप्राणमाशादि द्यूते स्यात् कलहादिकं
jitaśramārthaṃ mṛgayāṃ vicaredrakṣite vane dharmārthaprāṇamāśādi dyūte syāt kalahādikaṃ
ਥਕਾਵਟ ਦੂਰ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਰੱਖੇ ਹੋਏ ਜੰਗਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ; ਪਰ ਜੂਏ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਸ ਆਦਿ ਪੈਦਾ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਝਗੜੇ ਆਦਿ ਦੋਸ਼ ਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਧਰਮ, ਧਨ ਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਾਣ ਤੱਕ ਨਸ਼ਟ ਕਰ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","practical_application":"Policy on royal pastimes: hunting may be permitted in controlled conditions for fatigue relief; gambling is condemned as socially destructive and personally ruinous.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Regulated Hunting vs. Gambling as a Source of Calamity","lookup_keywords":["mṛgayā","rakṣita-vana","dyūta","kalaha","dharma-artha-prāṇa-nāśa"],"quick_summary":"Hunting in a protected forest can be a regulated pastime; gambling breeds craving and conflict, destroying dharma, wealth, and even life."}
Weapon Type: Bow/arrow (hunting context)
Concept: Not all pleasures are equal: regulated recreation may be allowable; addictive games that generate conflict are adharma.
Application: Enforce bans/controls on gambling, penalize gambling dens, and provide alternative sanctioned recreations; keep royal conduct exemplary.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Niti-shastra (Conduct, vices, and causes of social conflict)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king hunting calmly within a guarded royal forest to relieve fatigue; contrasted with a gambling hall where men quarrel, leading to violence and ruin.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural split-scene: serene royal hunt with attendants and forest guards; opposite, chaotic dice game with angry gestures and impending fight, bold colors and stylized expressions","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, royal hunt with gold-highlighted ornaments and forest motifs; separate panel of dice game with tense faces, gold embossing on dice and coins to symbolize temptation","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic contrast: 'rakṣita-vana mṛgayā' shown orderly; 'dyūta' shown disorderly with arrows pointing to 'kalaha', 'dharma-artha-prāṇa-nāśa'; fine lines and soft palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed forest hunt with horses and archers; adjacent interior gambling scene with dice, coins, and escalating quarrel, realistic architecture and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: जितश्रमार्थं = जित + श्रम + अर्थम् (समास/संधि; final -म् retained); विचरेद्रक्षिते = विचरेत् + रक्षिते (त् + र → द्र); धर्मार्थप्राणमाशादि = धर्मार्थप्राणम् + आशा + आदि (म् + आ → मा).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 240.39 (artha-dūṣaṇa); Agni Purana 240.41 (women and drinking faults)
FAQs
It conveys niti (practical governance-ethics): hunting is framed as a regulated royal activity (in a protected forest), while gambling is identified as a vice that generates destructive mental states (hope/greed) and social harms (quarrels).
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana includes statecraft and ethics; this verse functions like a policy note on regulated recreation versus prohibited vice, mapping personal conduct to public order (kalahādi—conflict and its cascade).
It warns that gambling erodes dharma and leads to karmically harmful outcomes—loss of wealth, vitality, and peace—while emphasizing restraint and regulation to prevent conflict and moral decline.