Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 49
Chapter 12 — श्रीहरिवंशवर्णनं (Śrī-Harivaṃśa-varṇana) | The Description of the Sacred Harivaṃśa
हरिशङ्करयोर्युद्धं बभूवाथ शराशरि नन्दिविनायकस्कन्दमुखास्तार्क्षादिभिर्जिताः
hariśaṅkarayoryuddhaṃ babhūvātha śarāśari nandivināyakaskandamukhāstārkṣādibhirjitāḥ
Dann entbrannte ein Kampf zwischen Hari (Viṣṇu) und Śaṅkara (Śiva), mit Salven von Pfeilen und Gegenpfeilen. Nandin, Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa), Skanda und die anderen wurden von Tārkṣya (Garuḍa) und seinen Verbündeten überwältigt.
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","practical_application":"Mythic exemplar of Hari–Hara confrontation and the subduing of gaṇa-leaders; informs iconographic and theological reconciliation themes as well as battle-imagery conventions.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Hari–Śaṅkara battle; Garuḍa overcomes Nandin, Vināyaka, Skanda","lookup_keywords":["Hari-Śaṅkara yuddha","śara-pratiśara","Nandin","Vināyaka","Skanda","Tārkṣya"],"quick_summary":"A fierce exchange of arrows arises between Viṣṇu and Śiva; Garuḍa and allies overpower Śiva’s prominent attendants like Nandin, Gaṇeśa, and Skanda."}
Alamkara Type: Yuddha-varṇana with Anuprāsa-like martial cadence (śara-āśari)
Weapon Type: Bow and arrows (śara)
Concept: Non-ultimate nature of apparent divine conflict; Hari and Hara function within līlā, pointing to unity beyond duality in Purāṇic theology.
Application: Encourages reconciliation: do not absolutize factional rivalry; interpret conflicts as contextual roles within dharma-protection.
Khanda Section: Avataras & Deva-Asura / Puranic Battles (Mythic Narrative Section)
Primary Rasa: Vīra
Secondary Rasa: Raudra
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A divine battlefield: Viṣṇu and Śiva face each other with bows, arrows crossing mid-air; Garuḍa swoops down overpowering Nandin, Gaṇeśa, and Skanda amid attendants and banners.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, symmetrical duel of Hari and Śaṅkara with drawn bows, crisscrossing arrows as patterned lines, Garuḍa dominating the upper field, Nandin/Gaṇeśa/Skanda in stylized defeat, intense reds and ochres","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, iconic divine combat tableau with gold halos and ornaments, Viṣṇu and Śiva richly adorned, arrows rendered as decorative rays, Garuḍa with gold-highlighted wings, attendant deities with clear attributes","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clean narrative staging: two central archers (Hari, Śaṅkara), labeled-like clarity in attributes of Nandin, Vināyaka, Skanda, Garuḍa’s intervention shown diagonally, fine linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed battlefield with banners and attendants, realistic arrow volleys, Viṣṇu and Śiva in dynamic poses, Garuḍa attacking from above, expressive faces, architectural hints of a fortified city"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"martial","suggested_raga":"Shankara","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: हरिशङ्करयोर्युद्धम् → हरिशङ्करयोः + युद्धम्; बभूवाथ → बभूव + अथ; मुखास्तार्क्षादिभिः → मुखाः + तार्क्षादिभिः
Related Themes: Agni Purana 12.48 (Kṛṣṇa’s intervention and subduing Jvara)
FAQs
No ritual procedure is taught here; the verse uses Dhanurveda-style imagery—“arrows and counter-arrows” (śara-āśari)—to depict a missile exchange in a divine battle narrative.
Alongside its manuals on rites, polity, medicine, and poetics, the Agni Purana also preserves puranic historiography and battlefield motifs; this verse exemplifies the text’s narrative layer that contextualizes divine lineages, conflicts, and martial descriptions.
The verse underscores the limits of power and the shifting outcomes of conflict even among divine forces, encouraging humility and remembrance that victory is not merely personal strength but depends on cosmic order (dharma) and divine will.