Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 7
Viṣṇu-Pañjara (विष्णुपञ्जरम्) — The Protective Armor of Viṣṇu
शार्ङ्गविस्फूर्जितञ्चैव वासुदेवस्य मद्रिपून् तिर्यङ्मनुष्यकुष्माण्डप्रेतादीन् हन्त्वशेषतः
śārṅgavisphūrjitañcaiva vāsudevasya madripūn tiryaṅmanuṣyakuṣmāṇḍapretādīn hantvaśeṣataḥ
And may the thunderous twang of Vāsudeva’s Śārṅga (bow) utterly destroy my enemies—whether they be animals, humans, kuṣmāṇḍas, pretas, and the like—without remainder.
Lord Agni (narrating the kavacha material to the sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","practical_application":"Kavaca-style invocation of Viṣṇu’s bow-sound (Śārṅga) to annihilate enemies and hostile classes of beings (human, animal, spirit).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Mantra","entry_title":"Śārṅga-visphūrjita Kavaca (Protective Bow-Twang of Vāsudeva)","lookup_keywords":["Śārṅga","Vāsudeva","visphūrjita","kavaca","kuṣmāṇḍa-preta"],"quick_summary":"The thunderous twang of Vāsudeva’s Śārṅga is invoked as a sonic-weapon. It is meant to destroy enemies across categories—tiryak, humans, and spirit-beings like kuṣmāṇḍas and pretas."}
Alamkara Type: Dhvani/Śabda-śakti (suggestive power of sound)
Weapon Type: Bow (Śārṅga)
Concept: Bhakti-infused mantra turns divine attributes (āyudha, nāda) into protective agency against seen and unseen adversaries.
Application: Recite as kavaca during travel, conflict, or fear of spirit-harm; visualize Śārṅga’s twang radiating outward as a protective shockwave.
Khanda Section: Mantra-Kavacha & Vishnu-Bhakti (Protective Hymns and Apotropaic Formulae)
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vāsudeva stands with Śārṅga drawn; the bow-string releases a thunderous twang depicted as concentric sound-waves that shatter hostile beings—animals, men, kuṣmāṇḍas, pretas—into retreating silhouettes.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Vāsudeva with Śārṅga, bold sound-wave arcs in stylized patterns, demons/spirits and foes scattering, warm earthy palette, sacred symmetry","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, Vāsudeva richly ornamented with gold work, Śārṅga emphasized, embossed sound-waves in gold, enemies miniaturized at the bottom fleeing, devotional kavaca mood","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, refined facial features, clear depiction of bow mechanics, labeled categories of foes in margins, sound-waves rendered as neat bands, instructional-protective composition","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed archer posture, fine line sound ripples, mixed crowd of foes (humans, animals, spirits) dispersing, architectural backdrop, delicate palette"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"martial-protective","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: visphūrjitañcaiva = visphūrjitam + ca + eva; tiryaṅmanuṣyakuṣmāṇḍapretādīn resolved as tiryaṅ-manuṣya-kuṣmāṇḍa-preta-ādīn.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Mantra-kavaca sections invoking Viṣṇu’s āyudhas (śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, padma, dhanus); Agni Purana rakṣā-prayoga lists of hostile beings (bhūta, preta, kuṣmāṇḍa)
FAQs
It gives a kavacha-style protective application: invoking Vāsudeva’s Śārṅga-nāda (the bow’s reverberant twang) as an apotropaic force to annihilate hostile beings, including spirit-classes like kuṣmāṇḍas and pretas.
Alongside theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical ritual technology—kavachas, spirit-taxonomies (preta, kuṣmāṇḍa), and protective invocations—showing how devotion is operationalized as a concrete protective rite.
The verse frames protection as refuge in Vāsudeva’s power: hostile forces (human or non-human) are neutralized through remembrance/invocation, reinforcing faith (bhakti) and the purification of one’s environment from harmful influences.