Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 3
Chapter 233 — Ṣāḍguṇya (The Six Measures of Royal Policy) and Foreign Daṇḍa
प्रकाशो ऽथ विषं वह्निर्विविधैः पुरुषैर् बधः दूषणञ्चैव साधूनामुदकानाञ्च दूषणं
prakāśo 'tha viṣaṃ vahnirvividhaiḥ puruṣair badhaḥ dūṣaṇañcaiva sādhūnāmudakānāñca dūṣaṇaṃ
И (к этому относятся): разглашение (тайн), яд, огонь, убийство, совершаемое разными людьми, а также поношение добродетельных и осквернение вод.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) addressing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Catalog of harmful/illegal acts relevant to governance: espionage breaches, poisoning, arson, hired killings, defamation of the good, and water contamination—useful for criminal classification and prevention.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Social Harms and Crimes: Secrets, Poison, Fire, Killing, Defamation, Water-Contamination","lookup_keywords":["prakāśa (secret disclosure)","viṣa","vahni","puruṣa-badha","udaka-dūṣaṇa"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates key threats to social order and security—ranging from information leaks and poisoning to arson, murder, slander of the virtuous, and pollution of water sources."}
Weapon Type: Poison (as covert weapon)
Concept: Protection of society requires guarding life, reputation of the righteous, and essential commons (especially water).
Application: Modern governance parallel: counterintelligence, anti-poisoning controls, fire safety, homicide prevention, anti-defamation norms, and water-security regulation.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Danda-niti (Governance, Crimes, and Social Harm)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal magistrate lists major offenses: a spy revealing secrets, a poisoner, an arsonist, hired killers, a slanderer targeting a sage, and a person fouling a well—shown as separate vignettes around a central court.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural narrative panels: central king-judge with palm-leaf register; surrounding small scenes—secret whisper exposed, a cup of poison, stylized flames, masked killers, a sage being maligned, a well being tainted; bold outlines, symbolic depiction.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore composition with central न्यायासन (judicial throne) and gold work; six small framed medallions showing each offense iconically (poison vial, flame, dagger, scroll of secrets, slander gesture, polluted well), ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout like a manual: central court with labeled icons; clean linework, subdued colors; emphasis on water source protection and civic order.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature with a qazi-like court scene; detailed side vignettes in landscape margins—well contamination, arson at night, clandestine poisoning—fine brushwork, realistic architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prakāśaḥ + atha → prakāśo 'tha; vahniḥ + vividhaiḥ → vahnir vividhaiḥ; dūṣaṇam + ca + eva → dūṣaṇañ caiva; sādhūnām + udakānām → sādhūnām udakānām.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma passages on crimes, punishments, and protection of subjects; Agni Purana sections on purity/impurity and social harms
FAQs
It lists major actionable harms—poisoning, arson, homicide, defamation of the virtuous, and pollution of water—used in rajadharma/danda-niti to classify serious offenses for governance and adjudication.
Beyond theology, it catalogs civic and legal concerns (public safety, reputation ethics, environmental/public-water protection), showing the text’s coverage of statecraft and social order alongside ritual and myth.
These acts are presented as grave adharma that harm society and purity; avoiding them (and restraining them through just rule) protects dharma and reduces heavy negative karma tied to violence, deceit, and communal pollution.