Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 28
Mantra-paribhāṣā (मन्त्रपरिभाषा) — Colophon/Closure
कुचमर्दी नखच्छेदी गुदस्पृक् पादलेखकः सदंशमवलुप्तमिति ञ कण्ठशोषरुजान्त्रित इति ञ केशमुञ्ची तृणच्छेदी दुष्टा दूतास्तथैकशः
kucamardī nakhacchedī gudaspṛk pādalekhakaḥ sadaṃśamavaluptamiti ña kaṇṭhaśoṣarujāntrita iti ña keśamuñcī tṛṇacchedī duṣṭā dūtāstathaikaśaḥ
Eine Botin (Frau), die ihre Brüste drückt, die Nägel schneidet, den After berührt oder mit dem Fuß den Boden ritzt/markiert; eine, die Bissspuren trägt oder deren Haar stellenweise ausfällt; eine, die von Trockenheit im Hals, Schmerz und Darmbeschwerden geplagt ist—eine solche ist als unheilvolle (duṣṭā) Botin zu erkennen. Ebenso gilt, wer sich Haare ausreißt oder müßig Gras schneidet, als Botin schlechten Vorzeichens.
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic encyclopedic instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Jyotisha","practical_application":"Bhūta-vidyā and dūta-lakṣaṇa: diagnosing inauspicious messengers by bodily signs/behaviors to decide whether to proceed with treatment/ritual or to interpret prognosis.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Duṣṭa-dūtī-lakṣaṇa (inauspicious female messenger signs)","lookup_keywords":["dūta-lakṣaṇa","bhūta-vidyā","graha-roga","kaṇṭha-śoṣa","duṣṭā-dūtī"],"quick_summary":"A set of bodily gestures, lesions, and distress-signs in a female messenger are listed as ominous, used for prognosis and decision-making in bhūta/graha contexts."}
Dosha: Vata
Concept: Nimitta-jñāna: reading external signs (dūta) as indicators of unseen outcomes in healing/ritual contexts.
Application: Use messenger-omens as a triage tool: unfavorable dūtī-lakṣaṇa suggests delay, protective rites, or heightened caution in prognosis.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda / Bhuta-Vidya (Graha-roga & Duta-lakshana: ominous female messengers and portents)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A woman messenger displaying ominous gestures—pressing breast, clipping nails, touching the anal region, scraping the ground with her foot—along with visible bite-marks, patchy hair loss, and signs of throat dryness and abdominal pain; an observer-vaidya/ritualist notes the omens.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized dūtī with expressive hand gestures, visible daṃśa marks, sparse background, a vaidya-priest observing with palm-leaf notes, ominous color accents (deep red/black).","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central dūtī figure with highlighted gestures, gold detailing on ornaments contrasted with inauspicious black-red motifs, observer seated with manuscript, symbolic depiction of throat dryness and abdominal distress.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic panel-like composition showing multiple duṣṭa-lakṣaṇas in sequence (nail clipping, foot-scratching, hair plucking), clean outlines, caption-like spacing for instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly interior where a messenger arrives; painterly realism shows bite marks and patchy hair, subtle depiction of discomfort, physician/astrologer assessing omens with attentive gaze."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: nakhacchedī = nakha-chedī; gudaspṛk = guda-spṛk; pādalekhakaḥ = pāda-lekhakaḥ; sadaṃśam = sa-daṃśam (avyayībhāva); dūtāstathā = dūtāḥ tathā.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 293 (dūta-śakuna section: bodily signs, nāḍī, touch-omens)
FAQs
It teaches dūta-lakṣaṇa—diagnostic omen-reading based on a messenger’s involuntary gestures and visible symptoms (hair loss, bite-marks, throat dryness, abdominal distress) to judge the auspiciousness of an undertaking or prognosis.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical prognostics linked with Ayurveda/Bhūta-vidyā—showing how observation-based “sign science” was used for decision-making, health forecasting, and ritual timing.
Treating such signs as inauspicious encourages postponing or purifying actions (through prayer, expiation, or better timing), aligning conduct with dharma and reducing the risk of adverse outcomes attributed to negative omens.