
Mantra-paribhāṣā (मन्त्रपरिभाषा) — Colophon/Closure
This adhyaya serves as the formal colophon closing the instructional unit “Mantra-paribhāṣā,” marking the completion of a technical exposition on mantra terms and definitions within the Agneya system of practice. In the wider encyclopedic movement of the Agni Purana, such closures are not merely scribal: they signal a transition from mantra-śāstra (the theory and correct use of sacred speech) to an applied sphere where mantra, timing, and diagnosis meet embodied crisis-management (āyurveda and viṣa-cikitsā). The text thus preserves continuity between proper linguistic/ritual method and its pragmatic deployment for protection and healing—an Agneya hallmark in which śabda (mantra) becomes an instrument of dharma in worldly emergencies.
Verse 1
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे मन्त्रपरिभाषा नाम द्विनवत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः अथ त्रिनवत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः नागलक्षणानि अग्निरुचाच नागादयो ऽथ भावादिदशस्थानानि कर्म च सूतकं दष्टचेष्टेति सप्तलक्षणमुच्यते
Thus, in the Agni Mahāpurāṇa, the chapter entitled “Mantra-paribhāṣā” (Definitions and technical terms of mantra), the 293rd, concludes. Now begins the 294th chapter: “Nāga-lakṣaṇāni” (Marks and indications concerning serpents). Agni said: Regarding serpents and the like, the ten loci beginning with bhāva (inner disposition), together with karma (action), sūtaka (impurity due to birth or death), and daṣṭa-ceṣṭā (the behavior of one that has been bitten)—these are taught as the seven diagnostic characteristics.
Verse 2
शेषवासुकितक्षाख्याः कर्कटो ऽब्जो महाम्बुजः शङ्खपालश् च कुलिक इत्य् अष्टौनागवर्यकाः
Śeṣa, Vāsuki, Takṣaka, Karkaṭa, Abja, Mahāmbuja, Śaṅkhapāla, and Kulika—these are declared to be the eight foremost Nāgas, the serpent-kings.
Verse 3
दशाष्टपञ्चत्रिगुणशतमूर्धान्वितौ क्रमात् विप्रौ नृपो विशौ शूद्रौ द्वौ द्वौ नागेषु कीर्तितौ
In due order, the brāhmaṇas, the king, the vaiśyas, and the śūdras are said to correspond to nāga-counts of ten, eight, five, and three; and in each case, two persons of each class are mentioned among the nāgas.
Verse 4
तदन्वयाः पञ्चशतं तेभ्यो जाता असंख्यकाः फणिमण्डलिराजीलवातपित्तकफात्मकाः
From their lineage arose five hundred varieties; and from them were born countless others—classified as phaṇin, maṇḍalin, rājīla, and as being of the nature of vāta, pitta, and kapha.
Verse 5
व्यन्तरा दोषमिश्रास्ते सर्पां दर्वीकराः स्मृताः रथाङ्गलाङ्गलच्छत्रस्वस्तिकाङ्कुशधारिणः
Those Vyantaras are of mixed moral defects; among serpents they are remembered as the Darvīkara class, bearing the emblems of a chariot-wheel (cakra), plough, parasol, svastika, and goad (aṅkuśa).
Verse 6
गोनसा मन्दगा दीर्घा मण्डलैर् विधैश्चिताः रथाङ्गलाङ्गलत्रमुष्टिकाङ्कुशधारिण इति ख स्थिता इति ख राजिलाश्चित्रिताः स्निग्धास्तिर्यगूर्ध्वञ्च वाजिभिः
Gonasa-serpents are slow-moving and long-bodied, marked with circular patches and various patterns—such as signs like a chariot-wheel, a plough, a tramuṣṭikā (club/fist), and an elephant-goad. Their bodies are streaked with rājīla lines, glossy, and patterned with crosswise and lengthwise stripes, resembling those seen on horses.
Verse 7
व्यन्तरा मिश्रचिह्नाश् च भूवर्षाग्नेयवायवः चतुर्विधास्ते षड्विंशभेदाः षोडश गोनसाः
The Vyantaras are of four kinds: those bearing mixed marks, those of the earth-region, those of fiery nature, and those of windy nature. They are divided into twenty-six subtypes; and there are also sixteen known as “Gonasa”.
Verse 8
त्रयोदश च राजीला व्यन्तरा एकविंशतिः ये ऽनुक्तकाले जायन्ते सर्पास्ते व्यन्तराः स्मृताः
Thirteen are the Rājīla, and twenty-one are the Vyantara. Those serpents that are born at an improper (unmentioned or inauspicious) time are remembered as “Vyantara”.
Verse 9
आषाढादित्रिमासैः स्याद्गर्भो माषचतुष्टये अण्ड्कानां शते द्वे च चत्वारिंशत् प्रसूयते
From Āṣāḍha onward, the gestation is said to be three months; and for a measure of four māṣas it is stated that two hundred and forty eggs are produced.
Verse 10
सर्पा ग्रसन्ति सूतौघान् विना स्त्रीपुन्नपुंसकान् उन्मीलते ऽक्षि सप्ताहात् कृष्णो मासाद्भवेद्वहिः
Serpents carry off multitudes of newborns, except those destined as female, male, or non-male (third-sex/impotent). The eye opens after seven days; and after a month, the dark complexion becomes manifest outwardly.
Verse 11
द्वादशाहात् सुबोधः स्यात् दन्ताः स्युः सूर्यदर्शनात् द्वात्रिंशद्दिनविंशत्या चतस्रस्तेषु दंष्त्रिकाः
After twelve days, the infant becomes clearly responsive and understanding. With the sighting of the sun, teeth begin to appear. By the twentieth day within a span of thirty-two days, four canine teeth are present among them.
Verse 12
कराली मकरी कालरात्री च यमदूतिका एतास्ताः सविषा दंष्ट्रा वामदक्षिणपार्श्वगाः
Karālī, Makarī, Kālarātrī, and Yamadūtikā—these female powers, bearing venomous fangs, abide upon the left and the right flanks as guardians.
Verse 13
षन्मासान्मुच्यते कृत्तिं जोवेत्सष्टिसमाद्वयं नागाः सूर्यादिवारेशाः सप्त उक्ता दिवा निशि
In six months one is freed from the condition of being a kṛtti (one who lives by flaying or skin-work). One should know the pair of sixty, namely the two sets of sixty time-divisions. The Nāgas—lords of the weekdays beginning with Sunday—are said to be seven, for day and for night.
Verse 14
स्वेषां षट् प्रतिवारेषु कुलिकः सर्वसन्धिषु शङ्खेन वा महाब्जेन सह तस्योदयो ऽथवा
At their six counter-turnings (revolutions), the kulika (spiral) is present at every junction; and its arising (udaya) is either together with a śaṅkha (conch) or with a mahābja (great lotus).
Verse 15
द्वयीर्वा नाडिकामन्त्रमन्त्रकं कुलिकोदयः दुष्टः स कालः सर्वत्र सर्पदंशे विशेषतः
Either during the two inauspicious nāḍikās, or at the time called “Kulikodaya” (the rising of Kulika), the period is deemed adverse for the employment of mantras; that time is harmful in all rites—especially in the case of snakebite.
Verse 16
कृत्तिका भरणी स्वाती मूलं पूर्वत्रयाश्वनी विशाखार्द्रा मघाश्लेषा चित्रा श्रवणरोहिणी
Kṛttikā, Bharaṇī, Svātī, Mūla, the three Pūrvās, Aśvinī, Viśākhā, Ārdrā, Maghā, Āśleṣā, Citrā, Śravaṇa, and Rohiṇī.
Verse 17
हस्ता मन्दकुजौ वारौ पञ्चमी चाष्टमी तिथिः नाडिकामात्रसन्त्रकमिति ञ विनिर्दिशेदिति क , ख , ज , ट च षष्ठी रैक्ता शिवा निन्द्या पञ्चमी च चतुर्दशी
When the nakṣatra Hastā falls on Saturn’s weekday (Saturday) and Mars’s weekday (Tuesday), the fifth and eighth tithis are held to produce an obstruction lasting only one nāḍikā (a brief time‑measure); this is stated as the “ña” category. Likewise, for the ka, kha, ja, and ṭa categories: the sixth tithi is “empty” (ineffective), the so‑called śivā is censurable, and the fifth and fourteenth tithis are also to be avoided.
Verse 18
सन्ध्याचतुष्टयं दुष्टं दग्धयोगाश् च राशयः एकद्विबहवो दंशा दष्टविद्धञ्च खण्डितम्
The four junctional regions (sandhyā) of the body are liable to become duṣṭa—infected and corrupted. There are also groups of conditions connected with burns. Bites (daṃśa) may be single, double, or multiple; and injuries include those from biting, from piercing/penetration, and those that are lacerated or broken into fragments.
Verse 19
अदंशमवगुप्तं स्याद्दंशमेवं चतुर्विधम् त्रयो द्व्येकक्षता दंशा वेदना रुधिरोल्वणा
A lesion without an actual bite‑mark is called avagupta, a concealed swelling not arising from a bite. A true bite (daṃśa) is of four kinds; among them are those with three punctures, with two punctures, or with a single puncture—marked by pain and profuse bleeding.
Verse 20
नक्तन्त्वेकाङ्घ्रिकूर्माभा दंशाश् च यमचोदिताः दीहीपिपीलिकास्पर्शी कण्ठशोथरुजान्वितः
Then, by the command of Yama, biting creatures—night‑roaming, tortoise‑like, and one‑footed—assail him; he is also tormented by the touch of stinging insects and ants, and he suffers swelling of the throat and pain.
Verse 21
सतोदो रन्थितो दंशः सविषो न्यस्तनिर्विषः देवालये शून्यगृहे वल्मीकोद्यानकोटरे
A bite or sting (daṃśa) may be of the piercing type, the tearing/churning type, poisonous, or one in which the poison has already been deposited (or has become spent). Such (creatures and such bites) are encountered in a temple, in an empty house, in an anthill (valmīka), in a garden, or in a hollow/cavity.
Verse 22
रथ्यासन्धौ श्मशाने च नद्याञ्च सिन्धुसङ्गमे द्वीपे चतुष्पथे सौधे गृहे ऽब्जे पर्वताग्रतः
At a street-junction, in a cremation-ground, on a river-bank and at the confluence where a river meets the sea; on an island, at a four-way crossroads, in an upper-storeyed mansion, in a house, upon a lotus, and in front of a mountain-peak—these are declared potent locations for rites such as japa and observances (vrata).
Verse 23
विलहद्वारे जीर्णकूपे जीर्णवेश्मनि कुड्यके शिग्रुश्लेष्मातकाक्षेषु जम्बू डुम्बरेणेषु च
A doorway that is broken or gaping, an old dilapidated well, a decayed house, and a damaged wall—likewise a dwelling situated among śigru, śleṣmātaka, and akṣa trees, and also among jambū and ḍumbara trees—are to be regarded as defects and inauspicious conditions for a residence or site.
Verse 24
वटे च जीर्णप्राकारे खास्यहृत्कक्षजत्रुणि तालौ शङ्खे गले मूर्ध्नि चिवुके नाभिपादयोः
Also, (the affliction is located) in the vaṭa (groin/inguinal region) and in old scar-tissue; in the mouth and throat, in the heart-region, in the armpit and at the collar-bone; on the palate, at the temples, in the neck, on the head, on the chin, and at the navel and the feet.
Verse 25
दंशो ऽशुभः शुभो दूतः पुष्पहस्तः सुवाक् सुधीः लिङ्गवर्णसमानश् च शुक्लवस्त्रो ऽमलः शुचिः
A messenger who bears a bite-mark (or sting) is inauspicious. Auspicious, however, is the messenger who holds flowers in his hand, speaks well, is intelligent, whose bodily marks and complexion are normal and consistent, who is clad in white garments, spotless, and pure.
Verse 26
अपद्वारगतः शस्त्री प्रमादी भूगतेक्षणः विवर्णवासाः पाशादिहस्तो गद्गदवर्णभाक्
A weapon-bearing man standing at an inauspicious doorway, careless in manner, with his gaze cast down to the ground, clad in discoloured garments, holding a noose (pāśa) or the like in his hand, and speaking in a stammering or hoarse tone—such a sight is an ill-omen.
Verse 27
शुष्ककाष्ठाश्रितः खिन्नस्तिलाक्तककरांशुकः आर्द्रवासाः कृष्णरक्तपुष्पयुक्तशिरोरुहः
He should remain near dry firewood, subdued and weary from austerity, with hands and garment smeared with tila-alktaka (a sesame-based red dye), wearing damp clothing, and with black and red flowers placed in his hair.
Verse 28
कुचमर्दी नखच्छेदी गुदस्पृक् पादलेखकः सदंशमवलुप्तमिति ञ कण्ठशोषरुजान्त्रित इति ञ केशमुञ्ची तृणच्छेदी दुष्टा दूतास्तथैकशः
A female messenger who presses her breasts, clips her nails, touches her anus, or scratches/marks the ground with her foot; one who bears bite-marks or has hair fallen off in patches; one afflicted with dryness of the throat, pain, and intestinal distress—such is to be known as an inauspicious (duṣṭā) messenger. Likewise, one who plucks out hair or idly cuts grass is also an ill-omened messenger.
Verse 29
इडान्या वा वहेद्द्वेधा यदि दूतस्य चात्मनः आभ्यां द्वाभ्यां पुष्टयास्मान् विद्यास्त्रीपुन्नपुंसकान्
If the iḍā nāḍī or the other current, piṅgalā, flows in a twofold manner in the messenger and in oneself, then from these two currents—by their signs of strength and nourishment—one should ascertain whether the ensuing knowledge/result is feminine, masculine, or neuter in character.
Verse 30
दूतः स्पृशति यद्गात्रं तस्मिन् दंशमुदाहरेत् दूताङ्घ्रिचलनं दुष्ठमुत्थितिर्निश् चला शुभा
Whatever limb of the body a messenger touches, that very place should be declared afflicted by a bite or wound. A messenger’s restless movement of the feet is inauspicious; rising and standing steadily without fidgeting is auspicious.
Verse 31
जीवपार्श्वे शुभो दूतो दुष्टो ऽन्यत्र सम्मागतः जीवो गतागतैर् दुष्टः शुभो दूतनिवेदने
When an auspicious messenger appears at the side of the living person, while an inauspicious one is encountered elsewhere, the person becomes affected by that inauspiciousness through comings and goings; but if the messenger’s report or message is auspicious, it is taken as auspicious.
Verse 32
दूतस्य वाक् प्रदुष्टा सा पूर्वामजार्धनिन्दिता विभक्तैस्तस्य वाक्यान्तैर्विषर्निर्विषकालता
A messenger’s speech may become corrupted, censured as the fault called “pūrvāmajārdha-ninditā”; and when his sentence-endings are wrongly split, it gives rise to the fault “viṣa–nirviṣa–kālatā”, i.e., by faulty division and timing of words one turns “poison” into “non-poison” (or the reverse).
Verse 33
आद्यैः स्वरैश् च काद्यश् च वर्गैर् भिन्नलिपिर्द्विधा स्वरजो वसुमान्वर्गी इतिक्षेपा च मातृका
With the initial vowels and the classes beginning with ka, the script (alphabet) is of two kinds. The Mātṛkā (phonemic matrix) is classified as: “svaraja” (born of vowels), “vasumat” (eightfold), “vargī” (grouped consonants), and “iti-kṣepā” (the appended “iti” ending/marker).
Verse 34
वाताग्नीन्द्रजलात्मानो वर्गेषु च चतुष्टयम् नपुंसकाः पञ्चमाः स्युः स्वराः शक्राम्बुयोनयः
In the consonant classes (varga-s), the first four rows are designated by Vāta (wind), Agni (fire), Indra, and Jala (water). The fifth row is neuter (napuṃsaka); and the vowels are designated by Śakra (Indra), Ambu (water), and Yoni (source/origin).
Verse 35
दुष्टौ दूतस्य वाक्पादौ वाताग्नी मध्यमो हरिः प्रशस्ता वारुणा वर्णा अतिदुष्टा नपुंसकाः
For a messenger, omens from speech and from the feet are inauspicious. A complexion dominated by vāta and agni is middling; a hari (tawny‑green) hue is favorable; a vāruṇa (watery) complexion is also favorable; but a napuṃsaka (sexless/androgynous) appearance is extremely inauspicious.
Verse 36
प्रस्थाने मङ्गलं वाक्यं गर्जितं मेघहस्तिनोः प्रदक्षिणं फले वृक्षे वामस्य च रुतं जितं
At the time of setting out, an auspicious utterance, the thunder-like roar of clouds and elephants, a rightward (pradakṣiṇa) sign, fruit upon a tree, and a cry from the left—these are regarded as favorable, victory-bestowing omens.
Verse 37
शुभा गीतादिशब्दाः स्युरीदृशं स्यादसिद्धये अनर्थगीरथाक्रन्दो दक्षिणे विरुतं क्षुतम्
Auspicious are sounds such as singing and the like; yet a sound of that very kind may also signify failure. Likewise, meaningless talk, wailing, a cry heard on the right (southern) side, and sneezing at that moment are portents of non-attainment.
Verse 38
वेश्या क्षुतो नृपः कन्या गौर्दन्ती मुरजध्वजौ क्षीराज्यदधिशङ्खाम्बु छत्रं भेरी फलं सुराः
A courtesan; a sneeze; a king; a maiden; a cow; an elephant; a drum and a banner; milk, ghee, curd, a conch, and water; an umbrella; a kettle-drum; fruit; and intoxicating liquor—these are the items counted here among the omen-signs (nimittas).
Verse 39
तण्डुला हेम रुप्यञ्च सिद्धये ऽभिमुखा अमी सकाष्ठः सानलः कारुर्मलिनाम्बरभावभृत्
Rice-grains, gold, and silver are to be set facing (the rite or the adept) for the attainment of success (siddhi). Favorable too is a craftsman (kāru) who arrives bearing firewood and fire, clad in soiled garments—humble and unadorned.
Verse 40
गलस्थटङ्गो गोमायुगृध्रोलूककपर्दिकाः तैलं कपालकार्पासा निषेधे भस्म नष्टये
For counteracting (an affliction or baneful application), use oil prepared with galasthaṭaṅga, cow-dung, vulture, owl, and kapardikā, together with skull-bone and cotton; this is prescribed for removing bhasma (harmful ash or its effect).
Verse 41
विषरोगाश् च सप्त स्युर्धातोर्धात्वन्तराप्तितः विषदंशो ललाटं यात्यतोनेत्रं ततौ सुखम् आस्याच्च वचनीनाड्यौ धातून प्राप्नोति हि क्रमात्
The poison-diseases are said to be seven, arising when the poison reaches from one bodily tissue (dhātu) to the next. The site of the bite or poison first moves to the forehead, then to the eyes, and thereafter there is relief. From the mouth it reaches the channels of speech, and in due order it proceeds through the bodily tissues.
Its key function is structural: it closes the Mantra-paribhāṣā section and signals a methodological shift from defining mantra-technicalities to applying them in a medical-ritual context.
By insisting on correct śāstric framing and disciplined transitions, it models how precise knowledge and right procedure support dharmic action—turning technique into sādhana rather than mere utility.