Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 12
Chapter 237 — Rāma’s Teaching on Nīti (रामोक्तनीतिः)
इति वृत्तं सतां साधुहितं सत्पुरुषव्रतं आधिव्याधिपरीताय अद्य श्वो वा विनाशिने
iti vṛttaṃ satāṃ sādhuhitaṃ satpuruṣavrataṃ ādhivyādhiparītāya adya śvo vā vināśine
ดังนี้คือจรรยาของคนดี—เป็นประโยชน์แก่ผู้ประเสริฐ เป็นวัตรวินัยของมหาบุรุษ—แม้ผู้ถูกครอบงำด้วยทุกข์ใจและโรคภัย ผู้ซึ่งอาจพินาศวันนี้หรือพรุ่งนี้ ก็พึงประพฤติ
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Motivational ethical teaching: practice noble conduct urgently, especially under illness, anxiety, and life’s uncertainty; used in sermons and niti instruction.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Sadācāra as Urgent Practice under Ādhi (Mental Distress) and Vyādhi (Disease)","lookup_keywords":["sadācāra","satāṃ vṛtta","ādhi","vyādhi","anityatā"],"quick_summary":"Frames good conduct as a beneficial discipline for the virtuous, to be practiced even when afflicted by mental distress and disease, given life’s uncertainty. Practical takeaway: ethical living is not postponed; it is most needed in crisis."}
Alamkara Type: Arthāntaranyāsa (reasoned reinforcement)
Concept: Anityatā (uncertainty of life) as impetus for sadācāra; ethical discipline as inner vow (vrata) sustaining one amid suffering.
Application: Use as daily reflection: ‘today or tomorrow’ mortality contemplation to prioritize reconciliation, charity, and disciplined living even during illness.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Niti/Didactic Praise of Sadachara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sick person on a simple bed, attended by family, listens to a sage teaching noble conduct; a subtle motif of passing time (sunset and dawn) indicates ‘today or tomorrow’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, compassionate rishi near a reclining patient, attendants with water pot and fan, background with stylized sun and moon to show fleeting time; calm expressions, earthy pigments, lotus borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central sage with gold halo blessing an ailing devotee, ornate gold detailing on textiles, symbolic hourglass or lamp, inscription of ‘ādhi-vyādhi’ and ‘satpuruṣa-vrata’.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional scene with labeled panels: ādhi (mind) and vyādhi (body), the sage pointing to a scroll of sadācāra; soft palette, fine lines, emphasis on didactic clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate interior with patterned carpets, a physician-like attendant and a scholar-sage, the patient contemplative; delicate rendering of dawn light through a window, calligraphic cartouche about anityatā."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: आधिव्याधिपरीताय = आधि + व्याधि + परीताय (समास/सन्धि); ‘अद्य श्वो वा’ = ‘today or tomorrow’ (कालविकल्प)।
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Sadācāra / Nīti passages in the same chapter; Agni Purana: Dāna and vrata sections emphasizing urgency and merit
FAQs
It imparts sadvṛtta-vidyā—practical dharmic discipline (satpuruṣa-vrata) emphasizing right conduct as an immediately applicable regimen even during illness or mental distress.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and poetics, the Agni Purana also codifies ethical practice; this verse functions as a concise rubric stating that moral discipline remains relevant in crisis, completing the text’s all-round instruction for life.
It teaches urgency in dharma: since life is uncertain (“today or tomorrow”), adopting the conduct of the good is presented as spiritually meritorious and purifying even when one is weakened by anxiety and disease.