Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 59
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
प्रधानदानमानं च भेदोपायाः प्रकीर्तिताः मित्रं हतं काष्ठमिव घुणजग्धं विशीर्यते
pradhānadānamānaṃ ca bhedopāyāḥ prakīrtitāḥ mitraṃ hataṃ kāṣṭhamiva ghuṇajagdhaṃ viśīryate
Сāma (примирение), dāna (дары), māna (почёт) и bheda (разделение) провозглашены средствами (политики). Дружба, однажды поражённая, распадается—как дерево, изъеденное термитами.
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s didactic discourse on niti/rajadharma)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Policy toolkit: apply sāma, dāna, māna, and bhēda appropriately; protect alliances proactively because once trust collapses it disintegrates irreversibly.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Four Upāyas and the Fragility of Friendship","lookup_keywords":["sāma","dāna","māna","bhēda","friendship"],"quick_summary":"The four policy means are conciliation, gifts, honor, and division; alliances, once broken, crumble like termite-eaten wood—hard to restore."}
Alamkara Type: Upama
Concept: Social trust is a structural asset; once internally hollowed, it collapses suddenly.
Application: In diplomacy/organizations, invest in honor and fair dealing early; repair breaches immediately before they become ‘termite-eaten’ and unrecoverable.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma / Niti-shastra (Statecraft: diplomacy and policy)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A council scene where the four upāyas are symbolically shown—handshake for sāma, gift tray for dāna, respectful salutation for māna, and a split group for bhēda—beside an image of termite-eaten wood crumbling.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized council with four symbolic vignettes around the king, and a decaying wooden beam with tiny termite motifs, strong lines and narrative clarity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ornate court with gold leaf, four emblematic gestures depicted in separate compartments, and a cracked wooden pillar motif indicating friendship’s decay.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with labeled-like visual cues: conciliation, gift, honor, division; a piece of wood riddled with holes shown as the simile, fine linework and soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate council with ministers, a servant presenting gifts, two factions subtly separated, and in the corner a naturalistic depiction of termite-eaten wood breaking apart."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भेदोपायाः→भेद-उपायाः; घुणजग्धं→घुण-जग्धम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 240 (upāya framework; rajadharma instruments)
FAQs
It teaches a core niti (statecraft) toolkit—sāma (conciliation), dāna (political gifts), māna (honoring/recognizing status), and bheda (creating divisions)—and warns that once an alliance is broken it becomes structurally unreliable.
Alongside ritual, cosmology, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also preserves practical governance doctrine; this verse is a compact political maxim on diplomatic instruments and alliance management.
It implies a dharmic caution: harming trust and friendship leads to lasting instability; sustaining relationships through respectful, non-destructive means aligns better with righteous rule (rajadharma) and reduces conflict-driven harm.