Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 21
Sahāya-sampattiḥ (Securing Support/Allies): Royal Appointments, Court Offices, Spies, and Personnel Ethics
जनस्याविहितान् सौम्यांस् तथाज्ञातान् परस्परं वणिजो मन्त्रकुशलान् सांवत्सरचिकित्सकान्
janasyāvihitān saumyāṃs tathājñātān parasparaṃ vaṇijo mantrakuśalān sāṃvatsaracikitsakān
ఓ సౌమ్యా, ప్రజలచే సరిగా ధృవీకరించబడని వారు, పరస్పరం తెలియని వారు, వ్యాపారులు, మంత్రాలలో నిపుణులు, అలాగే ఋతుచక్రానుసార చికిత్స చేసే సంచార వైద్యులు—ఇవారిపై రాజు పర్యవేక్షణ ఉంచాలి।
Lord Agni (in dialogue with sage Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Urban/professional oversight: monitor unvouched persons, disconnected groups, merchants, mantra-specialists, and itinerant/seasonal physicians as potential security risks or fraud vectors.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Persons Requiring Royal Watch in the City","lookup_keywords":["avihita-jana","vanij","mantra-kushala","samvatsara-chikitsaka","nagarika-nigraha"],"quick_summary":"A king should keep discreet watch over socially unverified persons and certain mobile professions (trade, spellcraft, itinerant medicine) because they can conceal espionage, deception, or public harm."}
Concept: Social trust (vouching/known networks) is a governance instrument; anonymity and itinerancy require verification for public welfare.
Application: Implement registration, guild oversight, and community attestation for mobile professions; balance freedom with safety.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Social Regulation (Nagarika/Professional Oversight)
Primary Rasa: Bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: Shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A bustling city street: merchants with goods, a mantra-specialist with ritual items, an itinerant physician with medicine bag, and unknown strangers; royal officers discreetly observe and record identities.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized market street with traders and carts, a mantra-kushala holding rosary and yantra, a traveling physician with herbs, royal guards and spies watching from arches, earthy tones and bold outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, market scene with gold accents on jewelry and trade goods, king’s emblem on officers’ staffs, itinerant physician presented with a permit scroll, mantra practitioner with ornate ritual tray, rich colors","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, instructional civic-regulation scene: officers checking registers, guild leader near merchants, physician showing credentials, clean composition and fine detailing, soft palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, lively bazaar with diverse figures, a hakim-like itinerant doctor, a spell specialist, discreet state agents noting observations, architectural city backdrop with perspective"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: janasyāvihitān = janasya + avihitān; tathājñātān = tathā + ajñātān.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma passages on nagara-raksha (city protection), vanij-dharma (merchant conduct), and mantra/tantra cautions
FAQs
It teaches a governance protocol: the ruler should monitor categories often associated with mobility or specialized knowledge—unaccredited strangers, traders, mantra-specialists, and itinerant/seasonal physicians—because they can affect public order.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purana also preserves practical statecraft: identifying social categories for administrative scrutiny shows its coverage of law-and-order, commerce, and medical practice within one compendium.
By preventing deception, harm, and disorder, the king upholds dharma; maintaining social safety is treated as a righteous duty that supports collective well-being and the moral order.