Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 46
Explanation of the Final Dissolution (Ātyantika Laya) and the Arising of Hiraṇyagarbha — Subtle Body, Post-Death Transit, Rebirth, and Embodied Constituents
यकृत्प्लीहाश्रया चान्या मेदोधरास्थिधारिणी मज्जाश्लेष्मपुरीषाणां धरा पक्वाशयस्थिता षष्ठी पित्तधरा शुक्रधरा शुक्राशयापरा
yakṛtplīhāśrayā cānyā medodharāsthidhāriṇī majjāśleṣmapurīṣāṇāṃ dharā pakvāśayasthitā ṣaṣṭhī pittadharā śukradharā śukrāśayāparā
Another dharā is situated in the region of the liver and spleen; another supports fat and bone. The receptacle of marrow, phlegm, and feces is located in the large intestine (pakvāśaya). The sixth holds bile; and another holds semen, situated in the seminal reservoir (śukrāśaya).
Lord Agni (teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Topographical anatomy of dharās/ādhāras: correlating organs (yakṛt, plīhā, pakvāśaya, śukrāśaya) with tissue/fluids (medas, asthi, majjā, śleṣman, purīṣa, pitta, śukra) for diagnosis and targeted therapy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Dharā-ādhāra mapping (Organ seats of dhātu/mala)","lookup_keywords":["yakṛt","plīhā","pakvāśaya","pittadharā","śukradhārā"],"quick_summary":"Assigns bodily supports/receptacles for key dhātus and malas—fat/bone support, marrow-phlegm-feces seat in the colon, bile-holder, and semen-holder—guiding organ-based clinical reasoning."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: The body is an ordered system of supports (ādhāra) and contents (dhārya), enabling causal inference from locus to function.
Application: Promotes seat-based differential diagnosis (sthāna-parīkṣā) and rational selection of therapies.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda (Sharira-Rachana: anatomical doctrine of dharās/ādhāras)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A labeled torso cutaway showing liver and spleen region, colon (pakvāśaya), bile locus, and seminal reservoir, with arrows to medas/asthi, majjā/śleṣman/purīṣa, pitta, and śukra.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Agni as teacher with a stylized anatomical torso; organs rendered symbolically (yakṛt, plīhā, pakvāśaya, śukrāśaya) with decorative arrows and Sanskrit labels; traditional mural borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central seated Agni with gold halo; side panel anatomical diagram with gold-outlined organs; rich jewel tones; embossed Devanagari labels for pitta and śukra seats.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting: precise instructional anatomy plate aesthetic; soft colors; clear organ outlines and callouts for pakvāśaya and śukrāśaya; teacher pointing with palm-leaf stylus.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: physician-scholar presenting a folio with organ-seat diagram; delicate shading, fine calligraphy; interior library setting with attendants and students."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चान्या = च + अन्या; पक्वाशयस्थिता = पक्वाशये स्थिता (internal compound); यकृत्प्लीहाश्रया = यकृत् + प्लीहा + आश्रया.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 368 (śarīra-rachana and dhātu/kala topics); Agni Purana 369 (indriya and avayava enumeration)
FAQs
Ayurvedic śarīra-vidyā: it classifies bodily ‘dharās’ (supporting receptacles) by the substances they hold—fat, bone, marrow, kapha, feces, pitta, and śukra—and specifies their anatomical seats such as pakvāśaya and śukrāśaya.
It shows the Agni Purana functioning as a compendium beyond myth—preserving technical medical anatomy/physiology (Ayurveda) alongside other sciences, thereby exemplifying its wide-ranging, encyclopedic scope.
By mapping bodily supports and impurities (like purīṣa) and vital essences (like śukra), the verse supports disciplined health and purity practices; such bodily knowledge is treated as an aid to dharma—maintaining the body as an instrument for sādhana and righteous living.