Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 35
Chapter 338 — शृङ्गारादिरसनिरूपणम्
Exposition of the Rasas beginning with Śṛṅgāra
कविभिर्योजनीया वै भावाः काव्यादिके रसाः विभाव्यते हि रत्यादिर्यत्र येन विभाव्यते
kavibhiryojanīyā vai bhāvāḥ kāvyādike rasāḥ vibhāvyate hi ratyādiryatra yena vibhāvyate
في الشعر وما شابهه من المصنّفات، ينبغي للشعراء حقًّا أن يوظّفوا bhāva وrasa؛ لأن rati (المحبّة) وسائر الحالات الوجدانية تُجعل ظاهرة في ذلك العمل—هناك، وبأي وسيلة كانت، تُجعل ظاهرة.
Lord Agni (instructional narration within the Agni Purana’s Sahitya-shastra section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Natya","practical_application":"Guideline for composing poetry/drama: deliberately deploy bhāvas and rasas so emotions like rati become experientially manifest to the audience/reader.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Kāvye bhāva-rasa-yojana (deployment of bhāva and rasa in poetry)","lookup_keywords":["rasa","bhava","kavya","rati","vyanjana"],"quick_summary":"Poetic composition requires purposeful use of emotional states and aesthetic rasas; the success of a work is measured by how clearly emotions like love are made manifest through appropriate means."}
Alamkara Type: Samanya (rasa-siddhanta; not a single figure but a compositional principle)
Concept: Art is a disciplined craft: rasa is not accidental but produced by intentional arrangement of bhāvas and expressive means.
Application: While composing, map: (1) intended rasa, (2) supporting bhāvas, (3) determinants and consequents; revise until the emotion becomes vivid without explicit statement.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya, Rasa, Alankara)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A poet composing while envisioning emotions (rati and others) taking form in the audience as rasa; abstract flow from text to hearts.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: poet with palm-leaf manuscript, behind him stylized icons of rasas (especially śṛṅgāra) emerging as colored auras, audience seated in semicircle receiving the emotion, flat decorative composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: poet-sage seated with manuscript, gold-embossed medallions around showing rasa symbols (lotus for śṛṅgāra, flame for raudra, etc.), rich jewel tones, ornate border.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional diagram-like painting—poet at left, arrows to ‘bhāva’ and ‘rasa’ panels, then to audience; delicate linework, readable labels, calm palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: mehfil scene with a poet reciting, listeners showing subtle facial expressions of love and delight, detailed carpets and manuscripts, refined gestures indicating rasa reception."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kavibhiryojanīyā→kavibhiḥ yojanīyāḥ; ratyādiryatra→rati-ādiḥ yatra.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sahitya-śāstra chapters on rasa, bhāva, vibhāva, anubhāva, vyabhicāri-bhāva; Agni Purana Natya-related classifications of nāyaka/nāyikā and dramaturgical elements
FAQs
It teaches Kavya-shastra technique: poets should deliberately arrange bhāvas and rasas so that emotions like rati (love) become aesthetically “manifest” (vibhāvita) for the audience.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana also codifies classical arts; here it summarizes a core principle of Sanskrit aesthetics—how literature produces rasa through the structured presentation of bhāva.
By promoting refined, dharmic expression of emotion through art, the text frames poetry as a disciplined knowledge that elevates the mind, supports cultural dharma, and encourages sattvic aesthetic experience.