Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 20
Ṣāḍguṇya — The Six Measures of Foreign Policy
with Rāja-maṇḍala Theory
किञ्चित्फलं निष्फलं वा सन्दिग्धफलमेव च तदात्वे दोषजननमायत्याञ्चैव निष्फलं
kiñcitphalaṃ niṣphalaṃ vā sandigdhaphalameva ca tadātve doṣajananamāyatyāñcaiva niṣphalaṃ
Một hành vi có thể cho kết quả ít ỏi, hoặc không có kết quả, hoặc chỉ là kết quả đáng ngờ; nó gây lỗi lầm ngay tức khắc, và về sau cũng tỏ ra vô ích.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Decision-making filter for rulers: avoid actions with low/zero/uncertain payoff that generate immediate blame and long-term futility; prioritize well-assessed, high-certainty policies.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Niṣphala–Sandigdha-phala Karma and Immediate/Future Faults","lookup_keywords":["sandigdha phala","niṣphala karma","tadātva doṣa","āyati niṣphala","policy risk"],"quick_summary":"Acts with small, nil, or uncertain results tend to create immediate defects and later prove fruitless. The teaching urges outcome-certainty and cost–fault awareness before acting."}
Concept: Karma-phala-viveka: weigh fruit (phala) against doṣa (fault/cost) across time (present and future).
Application: Adopt a counsel protocol: estimate payoff magnitude and certainty; if uncertain/low, anticipate reputational, legal, and social doṣas and refrain or redesign the act.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Karmaphala (Ethics of action and results; decision-making and consequences)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A minister presents three scrolls labeled ‘small fruit’, ‘no fruit’, and ‘doubtful fruit’ while pointing to two columns ‘immediate fault’ and ‘future futility’; the king pauses before issuing an order.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural of a palace council, minister holding palm-leaf charts of phala and doṣa, king contemplative, balanced composition, subdued śānta palette with traditional ornamentation","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style king and minister with gold-leaf highlights, symbolic scales weighing ‘phala’ vs ‘doṣa’, ornate frame, rich jewel tones","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting didactic diagram scene: decision table on a manuscript, minister instructing prince, fine detailing, soft gradients, emphasis on text labels tadātva/āyati","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a consultation chamber, detailed papers and seals, a balance scale motif, attendants, precise architectural perspective"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: किञ्चित्फलम् = किञ्चित् + फलम्; सन्दिग्धफलम् = सन्दिग्ध + फलम्; दोषजननमायत्याम् = दोषजननम् + आयत्याम्; आयत्याञ्चैव = आयत्याम् + च + एव.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Rajadharma counsel on deliberation (mantra) and avoidance of rash acts; Agni Purana Karmaphala discussions on immediate vs deferred results
FAQs
It teaches karmaphala-viveka: avoid actions whose outcomes are minimal, doubtful, or nil, because they generate doṣa (harmful fault/demerit) immediately and fail to yield lasting benefit.
Alongside rituals, polity, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also systematizes practical ethics—here giving a rule for evaluating actions by expected outcome and moral cost, a core component of Rajadharma and conduct literature.
Spiritually, it warns that pursuing uncertain or non-beneficial acts accrues doṣa and wastes one’s effort; karmically, such choices do not mature into auspicious phala and can bind the agent through negative consequences.