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
جس کام میں جس کی مہارت ہو، اسے اسی کام پر مقرر کرنا چاہیے؛ اور باپ دادا کے زمانے سے چلے آنے والے موروثی خادموں کو بھی تمام فرائض میں لگانا چاہیے۔
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.