Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 34
Adhyaya 222 — राजधर्माः
Rājadharmāḥ): Duties of Kings (Administrative Order, Protection, and Revenue Ethics
भुक्तमात्रेण ये चान्ये स्वशरीरोपजीयिनः
bhuktamātreṇa ye cānye svaśarīropajīyinaḥ
भुक्तमात्रेण ये चान्ये स्वशरीरोपजीविनः, तेऽपि यथाशक्ति राजकार्ये नियोज्याः।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vashistha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Identify and classify precarious laborers who survive hand-to-mouth; design relief, wage stability, and protection from exploitation for those dependent solely on bodily labor.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Hand-to-mouth laborers (sva-śarīropajīvin)","lookup_keywords":["svaśarīropajīvin","bhuktamātra","jīvikā","śrama","dependence"],"quick_summary":"The verse points to people who live only by immediate bodily labor and daily intake; governance should recognize their vulnerability and avoid policies that push them into hunger or debt."}
Concept: Dharma-aware governance accounts for economic vulnerability; subsistence living demands protective policy.
Application: Provide grain support during shocks, regulate debt bondage, ensure minimum subsistence and humane working conditions.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Social Conduct (Livelihoods and Dependence)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Daily-wage workers resting after labor, eating a simple meal; their tools and worn clothing indicate subsistence living, while an official notes their condition for relief planning.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, village edge scene with laborers eating simple rice, tools beside them, an official observing compassionately, stylized trees and huts, bold outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central group of workers with modest meal, gold accents minimal but present on a royal seal of welfare, decorative border framing a social-ethics theme","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, documentary-like depiction of subsistence labor: workers, tools, ration measure, calm palette, fine detailing to emphasize ‘bhuktamātra’ concept","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, genre scene of laborers at rest with simple food, detailed textiles and tools, an administrator with a register, naturalistic landscape"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: bhuktamātreṇa → bhukta + mātreṇa; cānye → ca + anye; svaśarīropajīyinaḥ → sva + śarīra + upajīyinaḥ (upajīvin-śabda).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma: welfare and livelihood arrangements (222.31-33)
FAQs
It classifies a social-economic type: persons who sustain themselves at bare-subsistence level through their own bodily labor, useful for Rajadharma discussions on welfare, taxation, and protection.
Beyond theology, it catalogs practical societal categories and livelihood patterns, aligning the Purana with governance and social-ethics manuals (Rajadharma) that guide rulers in administration.
It implicitly recognizes the virtue and vulnerability of self-reliant, minimally consuming laborers—supporting a dharmic view that rulers and society should avoid exploitation and ensure protection of such dependents.