Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 18
Sūryavaṃśa-kīrtana
Proclamation of the Solar Dynasty
शूद्रत्वञ्च पृषध्रो ऽगाद्धिंसयित्वा गुरोश् च गाम् मनुपुत्रादथेक्षाकोर्विकुक्षिर्देवराडभूत्
śūdratvañca pṛṣadhro 'gāddhiṃsayitvā guroś ca gām manuputrādathekṣākorvikukṣirdevarāḍabhūt
ونال پṛṣadhra منزلة الشودرَة لأنه آذى بقرةَ معلّمه. ثم من ابن مانو ظهر إكشواكو؛ ومن إكشواكو وُلد ڤيكوكشي، فصار ملكًا كالإله.
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogy to Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","practical_application":"Moral instruction on guru-droha and ahiṃsā toward protected animals; understanding Purāṇic accounts of varṇa consequence and solar dynasty succession.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Pṛṣadhra’s fall through harming the guru’s cow; Ikṣvāku and Vikukṣi in the solar line","lookup_keywords":["Pṛṣadhra","guru’s cow","śūdratva","Ikṣvāku","Vikukṣi"],"quick_summary":"Harming the guru’s cow is presented as a grave transgression leading to social downfall (śūdratva) for Pṛṣadhra, while the verse simultaneously continues the Ikṣvāku lineage through Vikukṣi, highlighting karmic consequence and dynastic continuity."}
Concept: Guru-bhakti and go-rakṣaṇa as dharmic pillars; karma-phala expressed as loss of status; kingship legitimacy through righteous lineage.
Application: Ethical restraint and reverence for teachers; non-violence toward protected dependents; accepting accountability and performing expiation where tradition prescribes.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Charita (Genealogies of Kings and Lineages)
Primary Rasa: Karuna
Secondary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cautionary scene: Pṛṣadhra injures the guru’s cow and faces downfall; alongside, a royal genealogical vignette introducing Ikṣvāku and the birth of Vikukṣi, portrayed as a radiant king.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic moment with a cow near a hermitage, the guru in distress, Pṛṣadhra shown remorseful; adjacent royal panel with Ikṣvāku enthroned and infant Vikukṣi; strong gestures, warm earth tones.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: hermitage scene with cow and guru under a gold-arched frame; Pṛṣadhra with lowered head; second register shows Ikṣvāku’s court with gold embellishments and a haloed, ‘devarāṭ’ aura around Vikukṣi.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clear narrative sequencing—(1) accidental/culpable injury to cow, (2) judgment/realization, (3) royal lineage continuation; fine linework, readable expressions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: pastoral hermitage with detailed flora and a cow; Pṛṣadhra confronted by the guru; in a separate vignette, a refined court scene of Ikṣvāku with attendants and the young Vikukṣi."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शूद्रत्वञ्च = शूद्रत्वम् + च; पृषध्रो ऽगात् = पृषध्रः + अगात्; अगाद्धिंसयित्वा = अगात् + हिंसयित्वा; गुरोश् च = गुरोः + च; मनुपुत्रादथेक्षाकोः = मनु-पुत्रात् + अथ + इक्षाकोः; विकुक्षिर्देवराडभूत् = विकुक्षिः + देवराट् + अभूत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana vaṃśa lists of Manu’s sons and Ikṣvāku lineage; Agni Purana dharma-related passages on guru-sevā and ahiṃsā (where present)
FAQs
This verse imparts genealogical-ethical knowledge: it links royal lineage (Manu → Ikṣvāku → Vikukṣi) with a karmic-legal principle—harm to a guru’s cow results in social demotion (loss of varṇa-status).
It combines vaṃśa (dynastic history) with dharma-ethics, showing how the Agni Purāṇa catalogs kings and successions while also encoding norms about guru-sevā, protection of cattle, and consequences of transgression.
The karmic takeaway is that violence toward a guru’s property—especially a cow—produces immediate demerit and social downfall, whereas righteous kingship is affirmed through the lineage culminating in a “devarāṭ,” an exemplary ruler.