Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 9
Chapter 276 — राजवंशवर्णनम्
Description of Royal Lineages
शिवे पुत्रास्तु चत्वारः पृथुदर्भश् च वीरकः कैकेयो भद्रकस्तेषां नाम्रा जनपदाः शुभाः
śive putrāstu catvāraḥ pṛthudarbhaś ca vīrakaḥ kaikeyo bhadrakasteṣāṃ nāmrā janapadāḥ śubhāḥ
শিবির চার পুত্র—পৃথুদর্ভ, বীরক, কৈকেয় ও ভদ্রক। তাঁদের নাম থেকেই শুভ জনপদসমূহের উৎপত্তি ও খ্যাতি হল।
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogies to sage Vasiṣṭha, per the Agni Purāṇa’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Understanding janapada origins and political geography through eponymous founders; useful for mapping ancient polities and their kin-relations.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Śivi’s four sons as eponyms of janapadas","lookup_keywords":["Śivi","Pṛthudarbha","Vīraka","Kaikeya","Bhadraka"],"quick_summary":"States that Śivi’s four sons give their names to auspicious janapadas, a Purāṇic method for explaining regional ethnonyms and kingdoms."}
Concept: Rājadharma is embedded in kula and deśa: rightful rule is narrated as an outgrowth of lineage and named land.
Application: Use eponym lists to cross-identify tribes/kingdoms in epic narratives and to interpret place-names as lineage markers.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita / Bhugola-Janaapada-Nirupana (Genealogies and regional eponyms)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: Kingdom/Janapada
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Śivi with four princely sons, each pointing toward a different direction where a labeled janapada landscape emerges—Kaikeya, Bhadraka, Vīraka, Pṛthudarbha—symbolizing eponymous founding.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Śivi seated with four sons in princely attire, directional mandala behind them with four landscape panels labeled as janapadas, bold outlines and traditional jewelry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Śivi central with gold halo, four sons in smaller flanking panels, each with a miniature fort/landscape and name plaque, heavy gold work and rich textiles.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, semi-diagrammatic composition: Śivi and four sons with arrows to four labeled regions, fine linework, soft shading, instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court scene with Śivi and four princes; background divided into four vignettes of distinct terrains and forts, delicate calligraphy naming each janapada."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पुत्रास्-तु → पुत्राः + तु; पृथुदर्भश् च → पृथुदर्भः + च; भद्रकस्-तेषाम् → भद्रकः + तेषाम्; नाम्रा → नाम्ना (तृतीया एकवचन)
Related Themes: Agni Purana: janapada-nirūpaṇa passages near 276.9; Agni Purana: other eponymous origin lists (aṅga-vaṅga etc.)
FAQs
This verse conveys Purāṇic geo-genealogical knowledge: it explains how certain janapadas (regions/polities) are named after ancestral figures, a traditional method of cataloging peoples and territories.
By preserving eponym-based ethnography and regional nomenclature, it functions like an index of ancient Indian political geography tied to lineage-history—one of the Agni Purāṇa’s hallmark “catalog” sections alongside ritual, law, medicine, and statecraft.
The verse primarily serves historical-memory (smṛti) and dharmic continuity: remembering righteous lineages and their lands is treated in Purāṇas as auspicious (śubha) and supportive of cultural order (dharma) rather than as a direct ritual injunction.