Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 20
Sūryavaṃśa-kīrtana
Proclamation of the Solar Dynasty
आयुस्तस्य च पुत्रो ऽभूद्युवनाश्वस् तथा सुतः युवनाश्वाच्च श्रावन्तः पूर्वे श्रावन्तिका पुरी
āyustasya ca putro 'bhūdyuvanāśvas tathā sutaḥ yuvanāśvācca śrāvantaḥ pūrve śrāvantikā purī
وكان ابنه آيُس (Āyus)؛ ثم إن آيُس أنجب ابناً يُدعى يُوفَنَاشْفَ (Yuvanāśva). ومن يُوفَنَاشْفَ وُلِدَ شْرَافَنْتَ (Śrāvanta)، وكان في القديم مدينة تُسمّى شْرَافَنْتِيكَا (Śrāvantikā).
Lord Agni (narrating the Purana’s contents to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s frame-dialogue)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Dynastic memory for Itihasa-Purana study: locating kings, eponymous cities, and succession order used in ritual genealogical recitations and historical orientation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Āyus–Yuvanāśva–Śrāvanta lineage and Śrāvantikā city eponym","lookup_keywords":["Āyus","Yuvanāśva","Śrāvanta","Śrāvantikā","Sūryavaṃśa"],"quick_summary":"Gives a compact succession (Āyus → Yuvanāśva → Śrāvanta) and preserves an eponymic toponym (Śrāvantikā), useful for mapping Purāṇic dynasties to place-names."}
Concept: Vaṃśa-smṛti (remembering lineage) as a support for social order and transmission of dharma through generations.
Application: Use as a mnemonic chain in Purāṇa recitation, śrāddha-related lineage recollection, and contextualizing vows/donations attributed to specific kings.
Khanda Section: Itihasa–Vamsha–Anucharita (Genealogies of kings and cities)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: City
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A court genealogist or sage recites the succession Āyus → Yuvanāśva → Śrāvanta, with a stylized ancient city labeled Śrāvantikā in the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, sage with palm-leaf manuscript reciting Solar dynasty names, flat bold colors, ornate borders, distant fortified city with name-scroll ‘Śrāvantikā’, traditional lamps, serene atmosphere","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, royal genealogy scene with seated king and minister-scribe, gold-leaf highlights on crowns and ornaments, architectural arch framing, small vignette of city Śrāvantikā with gilded towers","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional genealogical tableau with labeled figures (Āyus, Yuvanāśva, Śrāvanta) in sequence, delicate lines, muted palette, clear cartouches for names, cityscape inset","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court historian presenting a scroll of lineage to a king, fine detailing, Persianate architectural city in background labeled Śrāvantikā, balanced composition, subdued jewel tones"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Raga Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: putro 'bhūt = putraḥ + abhūt; abhūdyuvanāśvaḥ = abhūt + yuvanāśvaḥ; yuvanāśvācca = yuvanāśvāt + ca; śrāvantikā purī = śrāvantikā + purī (no sandhi change).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Itihāsa–Vaṃśa sections continuing Ikṣvāku/Sūryavaṃśa catalogues (adjacent verses in ch. 272)
FAQs
No ritual or technical vidyā is taught here; the verse functions as a dynastic register, preserving succession (Āyus → Yuvanāśva → Śrāvanta) and a related toponym (Śrāvantikā).
By cataloging royal genealogies and place-names, it adds historical-geographical indexing to the text—one of the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic layers alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and aesthetics.
Its significance is indirect: remembering righteous lineages and sacred history is treated in Purāṇic tradition as smṛti-based merit (punya) and as a way to situate dharma within time, rulers, and regions.