Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 14
Bala-graha-hara Bāla-tantram (बालग्रहहर बालतन्त्रम्) — Pediatric protection and graha-affliction management
वचागोमयगोमूत्रैः श्रीदण्डी चाष्टमे ग्रही दिशो निरीक्षणं जिह्वाचालनङ्कासरोदनं
vacāgomayagomūtraiḥ śrīdaṇḍī cāṣṭame grahī diśo nirīkṣaṇaṃ jihvācālanaṅkāsarodanaṃ
Mit vacā (Kalmus), Kuhdung und Kuhurin—als Heil- bzw. Schutzmittel verwendet; und im achten Fall ergreift der Graha namens Śrīdaṇḍin das Kind. Seine Zeichen sind: wiederholtes Blicken in die Himmelsrichtungen, Zucken/Beben der Zunge und Weinen mit einem Laut wie beim Würgen oder Erstickten.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, as typical for Agni Purāṇa’s encyclopedic narration)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Bāla-graha (child spirit-affliction) diagnosis by lakṣaṇa (signs) and use of apotropaic/medicinal substances (vacā, gomaya, gomūtra) for protection and cleansing.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Śrīdaṇḍin-graha (aṣṭama) lakṣaṇa and dravya-upacāra","lookup_keywords":["Śrīdaṇḍin graha","aṣṭama graha","vacā","gomūtra","bāla-graha lakṣaṇa"],"quick_summary":"Identifies the eighth graha named Śrīdaṇḍin by behavioral signs in the child and indicates protective/cleansing agents (vacā, cow-dung, cow-urine) used in graha-roga management."}
Concept: Lakṣaṇa-based classification of affliction and dravya-upacāra (substance-based countermeasure) for graha-roga.
Application: Use symptom clusters to decide the remedial protocol rather than treating all infant distress as identical.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda / Graha-roga (Bāla-graha and spirit-affliction signs)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A worried mother holds an infant who repeatedly stares toward the quarters; the child’s tongue trembles and the cry sounds choked, while an attendant prepares vacā with cow-dung and cow-urine for protective cleansing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, interior household shrine, mother with infant showing directional gaze and tongue-jerk, attendant with brass bowl of vacā and cow-products, muted earth reds and greens, stylized faces, ritual purity motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central mother-and-child, ornate halo-like arch behind, small side vignette of preparing vacā and gomūtra, rich colors with gold leaf accents on vessels and borders, devotional-protective mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean linework, instructional composition: left panel shows symptoms (direction-gazing, tongue movement), right panel shows remedies (vacā, gomaya, gomūtra) in labeled bowls, soft shading and delicate ornament.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic courtyard, physician/ritualist examining infant, detailed textiles, small containers of vacā and cow-products, expressive faces showing concern, fine brushwork and naturalistic palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vacāgomayagomūtraiḥ = वचा-गोमय-गोमूत्रैः (samāhāra-dvandva, instr. pl.); cāṣṭame = च + अष्टमे; jihvācālanaṅkāsarodanaṃ parsed as जिह्वा-चालन-अङ्ग-आस्र-रोदनम् (orthography normalized: अङ्ग, आस्र).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 298 (graha-roga lakṣaṇa and bhaiṣajya/śānti measures)
FAQs
It gives a graha-roga diagnostic marker-set (direction-gazing, tongue-twitching, choking-type crying) and indicates standard protective/therapeutic agents—vacā, cow-dung, and cow-urine—used in combined ritual–medical management.
Alongside theology, the Agni Purana catalogs applied health knowledge: it classifies specific bāla-grahas by name and lists observable clinical-style signs with practical materia medica, blending Ayurveda, folk psychiatry, and ritual therapeutics.
By prescribing purificatory substances and identifying the affliction as a graha, the verse frames healing as both protection from harmful influences and restoration of ritual purity, supporting the family’s dharmic well-being and the child’s safeguarding.