Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 12

Ṣāḍguṇya — The Six Measures of Foreign Policy

with Rāja-maṇḍala Theory

Devanagari script

दैवोपहतकश् चैव दैवनिन्दक एव च दुर्भिक्षव्यसनोपेतो बलव्यसनसङ्कुलः

Transliteration

daivopahatakaś caiva daivanindaka eva ca durbhikṣavyasanopeto balavyasanasaṅkulaḥ

Translation

అతడు దైవాఘాతానికి గురైనవాడు, దైవనియమాన్ని నిందించేవాడూ; క్షామ విపత్తుతో బాధపడుతూ, సైన్యబలానికి కలిగే విపత్తులలో చిక్కుకున్నవాడు.

Word by Word

• daiva-upahatakaḥ: one struck by fate
• daiva-upahatakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक) + upahataka (कृदन्त; √han (धातु) with upa-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP) 'upahata'; तत्पुरुषः (daivena upahataḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• daiva-nindakaḥ: reviler of fate/divinity
• daiva-nindakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daiva (प्रातिपदिक) + nindaka (प्रातिपदिक; √nind)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (daivaṃ nindati iti)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय

• durbhikṣa-vyasana-upetaḥ: afflicted with the calamity of famine
• durbhikṣa-vyasana-upetaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durbhikṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + vyasana (प्रातिपदिक) + upeta (कृदन्त; √i (धातु) with upa-, PPP)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त 'upeta' (endowed/afflicted); तत्पुरुषः (durbhikṣa-vyasanaṃ upetaḥ)

• bala-vyasana-saṅkulaḥ: full of troubles regarding strength/army
• bala-vyasana-saṅkulaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक) + vyasana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅkula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (bala-vyasanair saṅkulaḥ)

Speaker

Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purana’s primary narration frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: raudra

Secondary Rasa: karuna

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: caiva = ca + eva; daivopahatakaś = daiva-upahatakaḥ; durbhikṣavyasanopeto = durbhikṣa-vyasana-upetaḥ; balavyasanasaṅkulaḥ compound.

Characters & Entities

• Daiva (divine dispensation/fate)
• Durbhiksha (famine)
• Bala (army/forces)

FAQs

What technical or ritual knowledge (Vidya) is imparted in this verse?

This verse conveys Rajadharma-based diagnostic knowledge: identifying a ruler/person’s decline through markers—fatalism/being overwhelmed by daiva, irreverence toward divine order, famine conditions, and disorder or calamity within the army.

How does this verse contribute to the 'Encyclopedic' nature of the Agni Purana?

It exemplifies the text’s governance and statecraft layer: alongside rituals and theology, the Agni Purana catalogs political risk factors—economic distress (famine) and military instability—framed as vyasana (calamities) affecting rule and society.

What is the spiritual or karmic significance of this specific instruction?

Spiritually, reviling daiva (divine order) and falling into vyasana are presented as signs of inner disorder and adverse karma; reverence for dharma and corrective governance are implied remedies to avert further decline.