Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 35
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
अर्थस्य दूषणं क्रोधात् पारुष्यं वाक्यदण्डयोः कामजं मृगया द्यूतं व्यसनं पानकं स्त्रियः
arthasya dūṣaṇaṃ krodhāt pāruṣyaṃ vākyadaṇḍayoḥ kāmajaṃ mṛgayā dyūtaṃ vyasanaṃ pānakaṃ striyaḥ
Da ira nasce a deterioração da riqueza; e a aspereza surge na fala e no castigo. Do desejo nascem a caça e o jogo; e os vícios de dependência são a bebida e a devassidão com mulheres (mulherengo).
Lord Agni (in instruction on niti/rajadharma to Vashistha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Ethics for rulers and householders: identifying vices (vyasana) arising from anger and desire to prevent loss of wealth, injustice, and social disorder.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vyasana taxonomy: Krodha-ja and Kama-ja faults","lookup_keywords":["krodha","kāma","vyasana","dūṣaṇa","mṛgayā dyūta"],"quick_summary":"Anger spoils wealth and produces harsh speech and punishment; desire gives rise to hunting and gambling; addictions include drinking and womanizing—avoid these to preserve artha and dharma."}
Weapon Type: Hunting weapons (implied)
Concept: Krodha and kāma are root-causes of personal and political downfall; vyasana corrupts judgment and justice.
Application: Adopt restraint practices: measured speech, proportional punishment, regulated recreation, and avoidance of intoxicants and exploitative sexuality.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Niti-shastra (Governance, ethics, and vices to be avoided)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic sequence: anger causing harsh words and excessive punishment; desire leading to hunting and gambling; addictions shown as drinking and womanizing, with wealth slipping away.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural moral panel: four vignettes around a central figure—anger with red aura and harsh speech, unjust punishment scene, hunting in forest, dice game, drinking scene, stylized and symbolic colors","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore moral allegory: central king with gold halo choosing between restraint and vices; side panels with dice, wine cup, hunting bow, and a courtesan; gold leaf emphasizing temptation","mysore_prompt":"Mysore instructional painting: labeled vices in neat compartments—krodha→vakpāruṣya/danda, kāma→mṛgayā/dyūta, vyasana→pāna/striyaḥ—fine lines and calm didactic tone","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature series: court scenes of gambling and drinking, a hunting party, and a harsh sentencing; detailed costumes, expressive faces, subtle moral contrast"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: No major external sandhi beyond standard visarga/ending forms; vākyadaṇḍayoḥ treated as द्वन्द्व-समास with genitive dual ending -योः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 240 (Niti: vyasana lists; danda and vak-parushya context)
FAQs
Niti-vidya (statecraft/ethics): it classifies key vyasanas (destructive vices) and traces them to root causes—anger leading to financial ruin and cruelty, and desire leading to hunting and gambling—useful for governance and personal discipline.
Alongside ritual, cosmology, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also preserves practical governance literature (rajadharma/niti), including concise taxonomies of human failings that affect administration, justice, and prosperity.
It urges restraint of krodha and kama—seen as root defilements that generate harmful actions and social disorder—thereby protecting dharma, preserving artha, and reducing karmic downfall caused by addiction and cruelty.