Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 6
Chapter 230: शकुनानि (Śakunāni) — Omens
यस्यां स्थितः सा ज्वलिता मुक्ता चाङ्गारिणी मता एतास्तिस्रः स्मृता दीप्ताः पञ्च शान्तास् तथापराः
yasyāṃ sthitaḥ sā jvalitā muktā cāṅgāriṇī matā etāstisraḥ smṛtā dīptāḥ pañca śāntās tathāparāḥ
যে অবস্থায় তা স্থিত থাকে, তা ‘জ্বলিতা’ নামে পরিচিত; আর মুক্ত হলে তা ‘অঙ্গারিণী’ বলে গণ্য। এই তিনটি অবস্থা ‘দীপ্ত’ বলে স্মৃত; এবং তদ্রূপ আরও পাঁচটি ‘শান্ত’ অবস্থা আছে।
Lord Agni (narrating to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Classify fire states (especially for ritual/technical use) into ‘bright’ and ‘calm’ modes, distinguishing contained blazing fire from released embering fire; apply appropriate handling/ritual response and śānti when needed.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vahni-bheda: Dīpta-traya and Śānta-pañcaka (States of Fire)","lookup_keywords":["vahni-bheda","jvalitā","aṅgāriṇī","dīpta","śānta"],"quick_summary":"Fire is categorized by state: ‘jvalitā’ when abiding/contained, ‘aṅgāriṇī’ when released as embers; three states are grouped as ‘bright’ and five as ‘calm’. This supports ritual and practical fire-management by state-recognition."}
Concept: Agni-tattva is approached through lakṣaṇa (observable states) and bheda (classification), enabling correct ritual engagement and safe handling.
Application: In homa/household fire use, identify whether fire is ‘contained’ (jvalitā) or ‘released’ (aṅgāriṇī/embers) and respond with appropriate tending, containment, or pacification measures.
Khanda Section: Agneya-vidya (Agni-tattva / Vahni-bheda—types and states of fire)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual fire altar with a contained steady flame labeled jvalitā, and a nearby bed of glowing embers labeled aṅgāriṇī; a sage enumerates bright vs calm categories on a palm-leaf list.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, homa-kuṇḍa with stylized flames; split depiction: contained flame within altar and scattered embers outside; sage counting categories with fingers; bold outlines, deep reds and ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, homa scene with priest and altar; gold foil highlights on flames; embers rendered with textured red-gold dots; decorative border; palm-leaf manuscript showing ‘dīpta 3 / śānta 5’.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional fire-state chart: two fire depictions (contained vs released embers) with labels jvalitā/aṅgāriṇī; calm vs bright grouping shown as a neat list; soft shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, indoor ritual pavilion with brazier; one side shows steady flame, other side glowing embers being managed with tongs; attendants and scholar noting classifications; fine detail and subdued palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: cāṅgāriṇī → ca aṅgāriṇī; etāstisraḥ → etāḥ tisraḥ; śāntās tathāparāḥ → śāntāḥ tathā aparāḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Agneya-vidyā passages on agni-tattva and ritual fire handling; Agni Purana śānti-prakaraṇa (appeasement rites) where ‘dīpta’ vs ‘śānta’ conditions matter
FAQs
It gives a technical taxonomy of fire-states used in ritual/technical discussions—distinguishing ‘blazing’ (jvalitā) and ‘embering/coal-bearing’ (aṅgāriṇī), and indicating a broader scheme of three ‘bright’ (dīpta) and five ‘calm’ (śānta) conditions.
By cataloguing precise operational states of Agni (fire) in a systematic way—like a handbook—this verse exemplifies the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic method of organizing practical knowledge relevant to ritual procedure, domestic fire-use, and technical classifications.
Correctly recognizing and employing the appropriate ‘state of fire’ supports proper ritual performance (yajña/ homa discipline), which is traditionally linked with purification and the accrual of religious merit through accurate observance.