Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 9
Description of the Royal Dynasties (राजवंशवर्णनम्) — Chapter Colophon and Transition
स चापि वितथः पुत्रान् जनयामास पञ्च वै शग्भुर्वीतमयाश्चाभूच्छम्भोर्बहुविध इति ख , ज , च सुहोत्रञ्च सुहोतारङ्गयङ्गर्भन्तथैव च
sa cāpi vitathaḥ putrān janayāmāsa pañca vai śagbhurvītamayāścābhūcchambhorbahuvidha iti kha , ja , ca suhotrañca suhotāraṅgayaṅgarbhantathaiva ca
وڤيتَثا أيضًا أنجب حقًّا خمسةَ أبناء: شَغْبُهُرْڤيتَمَيَ؛ ووفق قراءات مخطوطات «خ، ج، چ» يُذكر كذلك ابنٌ لِشَمْبُه يُدعى «بَهُوڤِذَ». وكذلك سُهوتْرَ، وسُهوتارَ، وگَيَ، وگَرْبْهَ.
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogies to Vasiṣṭha, as per the Agni Purāṇa’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Provides a branching dynastic list with manuscript-variant awareness; used for compiling vaṁśāvalīs, reconciling recensions, and anchoring later kings/sages to a progenitor.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vitatha’s Sons (Variant Readings Included)","lookup_keywords":["Vitatha","Suhotra","Gaya","Garbha","manuscript variants"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates Vitatha’s offspring and notes variant readings across manuscripts (Kha/Ja/Ca), functioning as a compact genealogical register for textual and historical cross-checking."}
Concept: Smṛti-knowledge as structured enumeration; preservation of tradition includes acknowledging variant transmissions.
Application: Text-critical reading: keep parallel name-lists, annotate variants, and avoid forcing a single harmonization when recensions differ.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita (Genealogies and dynastic lists)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A schematic family-tree scene: Vitatha at the center with five sons arranged as labeled branches; a marginal note panel indicates variant manuscript readings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized genealogical mandala: Vitatha central, sons in radial arrangement with name cartouches, palm-leaf manuscript motif showing variant readings, earthy palette and ornamental borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embellished genealogical panel with Vitatha enthroned, sons in symmetrical rows, gold name plaques, decorative arch and floral motifs, emphasis on regal continuity","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic chart-like composition: Vitatha and five sons with clear labels, small side-note box for Kha/Ja/Ca variants, fine lines and soft colors for readability","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court scribe presenting a genealogy scroll to a patron; within the scroll, Vitatha and sons depicted in medallions, marginalia indicating variant names, detailed calligraphy aesthetic"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चापि = च + अपि; वीतमयाश्चाभूत् = वीतमयाः + च + अभूत्; अभूच्छम्भोः = अभूत् + शम्भोः; सुहोत्रञ्च = सुहोत्रम् + च; (IAST string has minor corruption: 'suhotāraṅgayaṅgarbha' resolved as सुहोतारम् + गयम् + अङ्गर्भम्)
Related Themes: Agni Purana vaṁśa lists with similar enumerative style; Agni Purana passages that present variant pāṭhas (where noted)
FAQs
This verse primarily imparts vamśa-jñāna (genealogical knowledge): a record of lineage succession through the naming of Vitatha’s sons, rather than a ritual or procedural vidyā.
By preserving dynastic and genealogical data—along with explicit manuscript-variant notes (kha/ja/ca)—the Agni Purāṇa functions as a reference compendium that catalogs historical-traditional lineages alongside other sciences (śāstras).
Remembering and transmitting righteous lineages is treated in Purāṇic culture as dharma-supporting smṛti (sacred remembrance), reinforcing continuity of tradition and the moral exemplars associated with ancestral lines.