Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 16
Varāhādy-avatāra-varṇana
Description of Varāha and Other Incarnations
अप्रार्थयत् कामधेनुं यदा स न ददौ तदा हृतवानथ रामेण शिरश्छित्वा निपातितः
aprārthayat kāmadhenuṃ yadā sa na dadau tadā hṛtavānatha rāmeṇa śiraśchitvā nipātitaḥ
When he requested Kāmadhenu and the other did not give her, he then seized her; thereafter, Rāma cut off his head and struck him down.
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","practical_application":"Warns against adharma of coercive taking (especially of cow/āśrama property); illustrates swift retributive justice through Paraśurāma.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Seizure of Kāmadhenu and Paraśurāma’s beheading of Kārttavīrya","lookup_keywords":["Kāmadhenu-haraṇa","Paraśurāma","śiraś-cheda","adharma","dāna"],"quick_summary":"Refusal to give Kāmadhenu leads the king to seize her; Paraśurāma responds with lethal punishment, marking the dharmic boundary between request and theft."}
Alamkara Type: Kārya-kāraṇa and Raudra-vyakti (cause-effect leading to wrath)
Weapon Type: Axe (Paraśu)
Concept: Adharma (forcible appropriation) invites immediate karmic/ethical consequence; sacred property is not subject to royal whim.
Application: In governance and personal conduct, distinguish lawful request from coercion; protect cows/commons/holy institutions; enforce proportional justice.
Khanda Section: Itihasa–Purana Narratives (Rama-Parashurama episode; Dana and transgression)
Primary Rasa: Raudra
Secondary Rasa: Vīra
Type: Forest hermitage vicinity
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king attempts to take Kāmadhenu; Paraśurāma confronts him and beheads him with an axe.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic confrontation at forest edge; Paraśurāma in fierce stance with raised paraśu; king with royal armor; Kāmadhenu pulled by attendants; bold red-black contrasts, expressive eyes.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Paraśurāma central with halo and axe; king falling; Kāmadhenu to the side with ornate decoration; gold leaf emphasizing divine justice; stylized blood minimal, symbolic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: sequential storytelling—panel showing request refused, then seizure, then Paraśurāma’s strike; refined linework, controlled drama, didactic clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: action scene with detailed weapons and garments; dynamic diagonals; attendants restraining cow; Paraśurāma’s axe mid-swing; landscape with trees and distant camp."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शिरश्छित्वा = शिरः + छित्वा (विसर्ग→श् before छ).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 4.15 (hospitality); Agni Purana 4.17 (aftermath and Jamadagni’s death)
FAQs
The verse conveys dharma-vidya in narrative form: the ethics of rightful possession and the grave consequence of forcibly taking a sacred, wish-fulfilling cow when a request is denied.
By embedding moral jurisprudence (dharma, transgression, and retribution) within an itihasa-style episode, the text teaches social-ethical norms alongside its many other disciplines—showing how narrative functions as a vehicle for law-and-ethics instruction.
It highlights that adharma—especially seizure of sacred property—ripens into immediate punitive consequence; the act of violence here is framed as the karmic outcome of an initial wrongful appropriation.