Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 23
Āgneya-Purāṇa-māhātmya
The Greatness and Self-Testimony of the Agni Purāṇa
शृण्वन्विप्रो वेदवित् स्यात् क्षत्रियः पृथिवीपतिः ऋद्धिं प्राप्नोति वैश्यश् च शूद्रश्चारोग्यमृच्छति
śṛṇvanvipro vedavit syāt kṣatriyaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ ṛddhiṃ prāpnoti vaiśyaś ca śūdraścārogyamṛcchati
এটি শ্রবণ করলে ব্রাহ্মণ বেদজ্ঞ হয়, ক্ষত্রিয় পৃথিবীপতি হয়, বৈশ্য সমৃদ্ধি লাভ করে, এবং শূদ্র আরোগ্য (রোগমুক্তি) প্রাপ্ত হয়।
Lord Agni (narrating the phalaśruti to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Using Purāṇa-śravaṇa as a socially integrative dharma-practice promising role-appropriate fruits: learning, sovereignty, prosperity, and health; motivating communal listening across varṇas.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Varṇa-anusāra śravaṇa-phala (veda-vit, pṛthivīpati, ṛddhi, ārogya)","lookup_keywords":["śravaṇa-phala","brāhmaṇa","kṣatriya","vaiśya","śūdra"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists differentiated benefits of listening: Vedic knowledge for brāhmaṇa, kingship for kṣatriya, prosperity for vaiśya, and health for śūdra—framing śravaṇa as universally beneficial."}
Concept: Śāstra-śravaṇa is presented as a universal upāya whose fruits align with one’s social function (svadharma) and worldly aims (puruṣārtha).
Application: Community readings can be framed as ‘sarva-varṇa upakāra’: learning sessions for students, ethical governance inspiration for leaders, prosperity ethics for merchants, and well-being orientation for workers.
Khanda Section: Shravana-phala (Merit of Hearing) / Dharma-phalashruti
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A public recitation assembly: brāhmaṇa scholars, a kṣatriya ruler, vaiśya merchants, and śūdra workers all listening; symbolic icons of their fruits—Veda, crown, wealth, and health—appear subtly.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple courtyard kathā setting with four social groups seated in rows, stylized symbols (palm-leaf Veda, royal parasol, grain/coins, healing lamp), flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central reciter with gold halo, four groups arranged symmetrically, ornate depiction of crown and prosperity motifs, gold embossing for auspicious fruits","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean narrative layout showing the audience diversity, subtle captions via objects (Veda bundle, throne, balance/coins, healthy figure), delicate colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly-public assembly with ruler present, scholars and townsfolk, detailed costumes, symbolic objects placed near each group, fine border work"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शृण्वन् + विप्रः → शृण्वन्विप्रः; वैश्यः + च → वैश्यश् च; शूद्रः + च + आरोग्यम् → शूद्रश्चारोग्यम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 382 (phala-śruti); Agni Purana sections on rājadharma/artha and ārogya topics (general encyclopedic scope)
FAQs
It teaches the śravaṇa-phala principle: attentive listening to the Purāṇic instruction itself is a sādhanā that yields specific results—Vedic insight for a brāhmaṇa, sovereign capacity for a kṣatriya, prosperity for a vaiśya, and health for a śūdra.
It shows the text’s compendious method of attaching practical, life-oriented outcomes (knowledge, governance, wealth, health) to religious practices like listening/recitation, linking dharma with domains such as education (Veda), polity (rājya), economy (ṛddhi), and wellbeing (ārogya).
The verse frames listening as a meritorious act (puṇya) that purifies and matures karma, producing both spiritual refinement (vedavit) and tangible welfare (prosperity and health), thus encouraging śravaṇa as a universal means accessible across varṇas.