Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 9
Chapter 12 — श्रीहरिवंशवर्णनं (Śrī-Harivaṃśa-varṇana) | The Description of the Sacred Harivaṃśa
वारितोपि स देवक्या मृत्युर्गर्भोष्टमो मम श्रुत्वाशरीरिणीं वाचं मत्तो गर्भास्तु मारिताः
vāritopi sa devakyā mṛtyurgarbhoṣṭamo mama śrutvāśarīriṇīṃ vācaṃ matto garbhāstu māritāḥ
দেৱকীয়ে বাধা দিলেও সি ভাবিলে—‘দেৱকীৰ অষ্টম গৰ্ভেই মোৰ মৃত্যু’; আৰু অশৰীৰী বাণী শুনি, দেৱকীৰ পৰা জন্মা গৰ্ভসমূহক সি হত্যা কৰিলে।
Agni (narrator) to Vasiṣṭha (listener), recounting the Kaṃsa–Devakī episode
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Moral-political lesson on how prophecy-fear and adharma lead to atrocities; used in discourse on rājasika-bhaya, cruelty, and the karmic consequences of harming innocents.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Kaṃsa’s Prophecy-Fear and the Killing of Devakī’s Embryos","lookup_keywords":["aśarīriṇī-vāc","aṣṭama-garbha","Kaṃsa-bhaya","garbha-hatyā","Devakī"],"quick_summary":"Despite Devakī’s restraint, Kaṃsa—fixated on the bodiless prophecy that her eighth would be his death—kills her offspring/embryos, illustrating the escalation of adharma driven by fear."}
Concept: Bhaya-born adharma (fear-driven unrighteousness) blinds discernment; attempts to control destiny through violence deepen pāpa and hasten downfall.
Application: In governance and personal life, avoid acting from paranoia; respond to uncertainty with dharma, counsel, and restraint rather than harm.
Khanda Section: Avataras / Krishna-Janma-Katha (Vaishnava narrative cycle)
Primary Rasa: karuṇa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Devakī pleads to restrain Kaṃsa, but he remains obsessed with the bodiless prophecy about the eighth embryo and proceeds to kill her offspring—an emotionally heavy prison tableau.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Devakī with raised pleading hands, Kaṃsa stern and unyielding, a spectral ‘aśarīriṇī vāc’ suggested as a floating inscription/light, somber palette with dramatic outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, moral tableau: Devakī in sorrow, Kaṃsa in rigid royal stance, symbolic celestial voice motif above, gold work used sparingly to heighten the tragic contrast.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic composition: Devakī pleading, Kaṃsa turning away, a visual emblem for ‘aśarīriṇī vāc’ (scroll/cloud), restrained emotion with fine detailing.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate interior scene with expressive faces, Devakī’s supplication, Kaṃsa’s cold resolve, a subtle calligraphic cloud indicating the bodiless voice, meticulous architectural detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"somber","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वारितोपि = वारितः + अपि; गर्भोष्टमो = गर्भः + अष्टमः; श्रुत्वाशरीरिणीं = श्रुत्वा + अशरीरिणीम्; गर्भास्तु = गर्भाः + तु
Related Themes: Agni Purana Avatara-khaṇḍa: prophecy context and birth narrative (12.5–12.8)
FAQs
No ritual/medical/weapon-vidyā is taught here; the verse conveys a Purāṇic narrative motif—prophecy (aśarīriṇī vāk) driving a ruler’s violent actions—used as a dharma-lesson on fear, adharma, and consequences.
It exemplifies the Agni Purāṇa’s breadth: alongside manuals of worship, polity, medicine, and poetics, it preserves avatāra narratives that transmit ethical instruction and theological context (here, the eighth-child prophecy central to Kṛṣṇa-kathā).
The verse highlights how acting from fear and ego—attempting to thwart destiny through violence—deepens adharma and karmic downfall; the bodiless proclamation underscores the inevitability of divine order (daiva) over tyrannical control.