Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 7
Chapter 340 — नृत्यादावङ्गकर्मनिरूपणम्
Explanation of Bodily Actions in Dance and Performance
न प्रयोगः क्वचिन्मुख्यन्तिरश्चीनञ्च तत् क्वचित् आकम्पितं कम्पितञ्च धूतं विधूतमेव च
na prayogaḥ kvacinmukhyantiraścīnañca tat kvacit ākampitaṃ kampitañca dhūtaṃ vidhūtameva ca
A veces no hay aplicación directa; a veces es frontal, y otras veces es lateral. Asimismo, puede presentarse como un temblor inicial, un temblor pleno, una sacudida o una sacudida violenta.
Lord Agni (teaching to Vasiṣṭha, the standard Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Reading and executing combat/archery body-movement indicators: distinguishing frontal vs. lateral application and grading tremors from slight quiver to violent shaking—useful for aim control, feint recognition, and stress management in battle.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Combat/archery movement modes: frontal/lateral and degrees of tremor","lookup_keywords":["mukhya","tiraścīna","ākampita","kampita","dhūta","vidhūta"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates orientations of application (frontal or sideways) and a scale of shaking—from initial quiver to violent agitation—supporting technical diagnosis of movement quality in martial practice."}
Weapon Type: Bow (implied archery body-application)
Concept: Skill is discriminative awareness (viveka) of micro-variations in movement; mastery begins by naming and grading instability.
Application: Use the tremor scale as a checklist: do not release a shot when movement has reached dhūta/vidhūta; reset posture and breath until only minimal ākampita remains.
Khanda Section: Dhanurveda (Archery & Military Science) – Śarīra-ceṣṭā & Lakṣaṇa (body-movement indicators used in combat/archery)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A warrior-archer demonstrates different orientations—front-facing and sideways—while an instructor points out degrees of tremor: slight quiver, full tremor, shaking, and violent shaking.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, archer in two stances (frontal and lateral) with dynamic lines indicating tremor levels; traditional armor, bold contours, battlefield minimalism.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, heroic archer with gold embellishments; four small inset halos around the arms/bow showing ākampita, kampita, dhūta, vidhūta as progressively stronger motion marks.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional martial plate: side-by-side stance diagrams and tremor gradation marks on hands and bow, clean composition, labeled Sanskrit terms.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, training ground with master and archer; subtle depiction of hand tremor and posture correction, detailed weapons and textiles, naturalistic motion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: क्वचिन्मुख्यः = क्वचित् + मुख्यः; तिरश्चीनञ्च = तिरश्चीनम् + च; कम्पितञ्च = कम्पितम् + च; विधूतमेव = विधूतम् + एव
Related Themes: Agni Purana Dhanurveda sections on śarīra-ceṣṭā, lakṣaṇa, and weapon-handling around this chapter; Agni Purana archery posture and aiming instructions in adjacent verses
FAQs
It classifies practical modes of engagement and observable movement/tremor-types—front-facing vs. lateral action, and graded shaking from slight quiver (ākampita) to violent agitation (vidhūta)—useful for Dhanurvedic assessment in combat/archery situations.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves technical taxonomies used in applied sciences like Dhanurveda—here, a concise diagnostic vocabulary for bodily motion and engagement angles, reflecting systematic military knowledge embedded in a Purāṇic text.
By promoting disciplined awareness and correct application rather than reckless action, the instruction supports dharmic conduct in warfare—minimizing error and harm through trained perception and controlled technique.