Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 16
Sahāya-sampattiḥ (Securing Support/Allies): Royal Appointments, Court Offices, Spies, and Personnel Ethics
यस्मिन् कर्मणि कौशल्यं यस्य तस्मिन् नियोजयेत् पितृपैतामहान् भृत्यान् सर्वकर्मसु योजयेत्
yasmin karmaṇi kauśalyaṃ yasya tasmin niyojayet pitṛpaitāmahān bhṛtyān sarvakarmasu yojayet
ఏ పనిలో ఎవరికీ నైపుణ్యం ఉంటే, అతనినే ఆ పనిలో నియమించాలి; అలాగే తండ్రి, తాత కాలం నుంచీ ఉన్న వంశపారంపర్య సేవకులను కూడా అన్ని విధులలో నియోగించాలి।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Human-resource governance: assign roles by demonstrated skill; retain institutional memory by employing hereditary/long-serving staff across departments.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Kauśalya-niyoga (Skill-based assignment) and Paitāmaha-bhṛtya (Hereditary servants)","lookup_keywords":["kauśalya","niyoga","bhṛtya","paitāmaha","rājasevā"],"quick_summary":"Put each person to the work they do best; also utilize trusted hereditary servants for continuity and reliable execution of royal tasks."}
Concept: Svadharma in administration: excellence arises when duty matches competence; loyalty and continuity are assets when ethically governed.
Application: Implement competency mapping and preserve institutional knowledge through vetted legacy staff, while preventing nepotistic abuse via oversight.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma (Governance and Administration)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal office where specialists—scribe, treasurer, judge, engineer—are assigned tasks; elder hereditary servants guide younger staff, showing continuity of service.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: court-administration montage with labeled roles, elder attendants in traditional dress, palm-leaf manuscripts, balanced symmetrical layout.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: king bestowing seals to different specialists, gold-foil highlights on insignia and documents, richly ornamented pillars and textiles.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic scene with clear role icons—ledger, scales, tools—elder servant instructing a novice, refined lines and soft palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: bureaucratic atelier with scribes and accountants, shelves of records, elder retainer supervising, realistic interior architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पितृपैतामहान् = पितृ + पैतामहान् (द्वन्द्व); सर्वकर्मसु = सर्व + कर्मसु
Related Themes: Agni Purana 220 (appointments and administration)
FAQs
It imparts administrative statecraft (rāja-nīti): assign duties according to demonstrated competence, while also integrating established hereditary retainers into the functioning of the household/state.
Alongside ritual, theology, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also preserves practical governance norms—here, a management principle of role-fit (competence-based appointment) and institutional continuity (ancestral staff).
Competence-based assignment supports dharma through orderly, non-harmful execution of duties; maintaining loyal retainers also upholds social obligation and stability, reducing adharma born of misrule and mismanagement.