Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 20
Chapter 228 — स्वप्नाध्यायः
Svapnādhāyaḥ / Chapter on Dreams
द्रुमाणां श्वेतपुष्पाणां गगने च तथा द्विज द्रुमतृणोद्भवो नाभौ तथा च बहुबाहुता
drumāṇāṃ śvetapuṣpāṇāṃ gagane ca tathā dvija drumatṛṇodbhavo nābhau tathā ca bahubāhutā
হে দ্বিজ! স্বপ্নত আকাশত শ্বেতপুষ্পযুক্ত গছ দেখা, নাভিৰ পৰা গছ আৰু তৃণ অঙ্কুৰিত হোৱা দেখা, আৰু বহু বাহু থকা—এইবোৰ ইয়াত কোৱা নিমিত্ত-লক্ষণ।
Lord Agni (narrating to a dvija/sage interlocutor in the Purāṇic dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Jyotisha","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Catalog of extraordinary dream/omen images used in lakṣaṇa-śāstra to infer specific outcomes (often high status, transformation, or otherworldly portents).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Adbhuta-svapna/lakṣaṇa-nimitta (Marvelous dream-omens)","lookup_keywords":["lakṣaṇa-śāstra","svapna-nimitta","śveta-puṣpa","nabhi-aṅkura","bahu-bāhu","adbhuta"],"quick_summary":"Lists striking dream-omens—white-flowering trees in the sky, sprouts from the navel, many arms—treated as significant lakṣaṇas requiring interpretation in prognostication."}
Concept: Nimitta as a language of the subtle order: extraordinary images signal extraordinary shifts in fortune or destiny.
Application: Treat highly anomalous dream imagery as ‘high-signal’ and seek corroboration (timing, subsequent signs, ritual context) before final prediction.
Khanda Section: Lakṣaṇa-śāstra (Samudrika / Śārīra-lakṣaṇa: omens and bodily marks)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A visionary dream tableau: white-blossomed trees floating in the sky; a human figure whose navel sprouts grasses and saplings; the same figure appearing with many arms—an uncanny omen scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, surreal sky with stylized white blossoms, central figure with lotus-like navel sprouting vines, many-armed silhouette, strong contrasts and sacred-omen atmosphere.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold leaf for white blossoms and celestial backdrop, central figure with ornate multiple arms, delicate sprouting motif at navel, framed as an auspicious/portent icon panel.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, precise illustrative rendering of each omen as separate labeled vignette (sky-trees, navel-sprouts, many arms), clean lines for educational clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, fantastical yet detailed: floating flowering trees against a pale sky, anatomically careful figure with botanical sprout at navel, multiple arms depicted with courtly finesse and subtle unease."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्रुम + तृण + उद्भवः → द्रुमतृणोद्भवः (o + u sandhi); vocative द्विज addressed to listener.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 228 (lakṣaṇa and svapna lists; continuation into devatā-dhyāna-lakṣaṇa)
FAQs
It conveys lakṣaṇa-śāstra (samudrika/omenology): interpreting extraordinary dream-visions and bodily anomalies (e.g., white-flowering trees in the sky, sprouts from the navel, many arms) as diagnostic signs with predictive value.
By cataloging omen-lore and bodily-sign interpretation alongside other disciplines, the Agni Purana functions as a compendium—preserving a technical tradition (lakṣaṇa-vidyā) used for prognosis, character-reading, and fate-indications.
Such signs are treated as karmic indicators—unusual visions/marks are read as outcomes of prior merit or demerit, prompting vigilance, purification, and dharmic conduct depending on the indicated result.