Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 2
Chapter 366 — सामान्यनामलिङ्गानि
Common Noun-Forms and Their Grammatical Genders
प्रवीणनिपुणाभिज्ञविज्ञनिष्णातशिक्षिताः स्युर्वदान्यस्थूललक्षदानशौण्डा बहुप्रदे
pravīṇanipuṇābhijñavijñaniṣṇātaśikṣitāḥ syurvadānyasthūlalakṣadānaśauṇḍā bahuprade
ينبغي أن يكونوا متقنين، ماهرين، واسعي الاطلاع، علماء، راسخي التدريب، حسني التعليم—كرماءَ العطاء، جريئين في بذل الهبات الجسيمة التي تبلغ قيمتها مئات الألوف، كثيري الإفضال والإنعام.
Lord Agni (in dialogue tradition of Agni Purana, instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Arthashastra","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Guidelines for selecting/training officials and exemplars of donor-ethics: competence plus generosity in public life and dāna culture.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Qualities of the accomplished and the great donor (bahuprada)","lookup_keywords":["pravīṇa","nipuṇa","abhijña","dānśauṇḍa","bahuprada"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates ideal traits—skill, learning, training, and education—culminating in lavish generosity; it serves as a normative checklist for leaders, patrons, and administrators."}
Concept: Dāna joined with competence: merit and social welfare arise when capable persons give boldly and abundantly.
Application: Adopt as an ethical rubric for patronage (supporting learning, temples, relief) and for evaluating court officials or community leaders.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Dana (Governance, ethics, and meritorious giving)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A patron in a royal hall distributes large gifts—gold, cattle, land grants—while learned recipients and scribes record the donation; the donor is portrayed as trained and accomplished.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, king/patron offering heaps of coins and cloth to brāhmaṇas and scholars, scribe with palm-leaf recording, attendants carrying gifts, strong outlines and warm palette, emphasis on dāna gesture (varada-like hand).","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, lavish dāna scene with gold-leaf piles, jeweled vessels, donor with ornate crown, recipients with manuscripts, temple-like arch framing, rich reds/greens and heavy gilding.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, orderly distribution scene with labeled gift items (hiraṇya, vastra, go), donor shown with composed posture, scribes documenting, fine detailing suited to instructional ethics.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly charity scene with detailed textiles and trays of coins, clerks writing in registers, scholars receiving, architectural depth and delicate brushwork."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रवीणनिपुणाभिज्ञविज्ञनिष्णातशिक्षिताः is a multi-member compound (treated as dvandva of qualities); स्युर्वदान्य... → स्युः + वदान्य...; बहुप्रदे appears as dual in the given text; likely intended बहुप्रदाः (plural).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 366 (contextual continuation of common terms/qualities); Agni Purana dāna-related passages elsewhere (lists of gifts and merits)
FAQs
It defines the expected qualifications and disposition of exemplary donors—educated, well-trained persons who give substantial and abundant gifts (including high-value ‘lakṣa’-level donations).
By codifying social-ethical standards within Rajadharma and Dāna literature, it adds a practical governance-and-merit dimension alongside the Purana’s many technical domains (ritual, law, medicine, warfare, and poetics).
It promotes dāna as a merit-producing discipline: learning and cultivated character culminate in generous, large-scale giving, which is traditionally held to purify wealth and accrue puṇya (religious merit).