Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 53

Chapter 12 — श्रीहरिवंशवर्णनं (Śrī-Harivaṃśa-varṇana) | The Description of the Sacred Harivaṃśa

Devanagari script

द्वारकान्तु गतो रेमे उग्रसेनादियादवैः अनिरुद्धात्मजो वज्रो मार्कण्डेयात्तु सर्ववित्

Transliteration

dvārakāntu gato reme ugrasenādiyādavaiḥ aniruddhātmajo vajro mārkaṇḍeyāttu sarvavit

Translation

Mais, étant allé à Dvārakā, il vécut dans la joie parmi les Yādavas conduits par Ugrasena. Et Vajra, fils d’Aniruddha, devint omniscient—instruit en toutes choses—par l’enseignement de Mārkaṇḍeya.

Word by Word

• dvārakām: to Dvārakā
• dvārakām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvārakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tu: then / but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वय-अव्यय (particle ‘but/and then’)

• gataḥ: having gone
• gataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (saḥ इत्यध्याहार्यः)

• reme: rejoiced / enjoyed
• reme: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ram (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ugrasena-ādi-yādavaiḥ: with Ugrasena and other Yādavas
• ugrasena-ādi-yādavaiḥ: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ugrasena (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + yādava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (ugrasenādayaḥ yādavāḥ)

• aniruddha-ātmajaḥ: son of Aniruddha
• aniruddha-ātmajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aniruddha (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (aniruddhasya ātmajaḥ)

• vajraḥ: Vajra
• vajraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vajra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• mārkaṇḍeyāt: from Mārkaṇḍeya
• mārkaṇḍeyāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mārkaṇḍeya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• tu: and/then
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अन्वय-अव्यय (particle)

• sarva-vit: all-knowing
• sarva-vit: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + vid (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (sarvaṃ vetti iti)

Speaker

Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s discourse frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: Kingdom

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: dvārakāntu = dvārakām + tu. ugrasenādiyādavaiḥ = ugrasena-ādi-yādavaiḥ. mārkaṇḍeyāttu = mārkaṇḍeyāt + tu.

Characters & Entities

• Dvārakā
• Ugrasena
• Yādavas
• Aniruddha
• Vajra
• Mārkaṇḍeya

FAQs

What technical or ritual knowledge (Vidya) is imparted in this verse?

No specific ritual procedure is taught here; the verse records a lineage-and-residence detail (Dvārakā with the Yādavas) and emphasizes learning/omniscience gained through sage Mārkaṇḍeya’s instruction.

How does this verse contribute to the 'Encyclopedic' nature of the Agni Purana?

It preserves historical-purāṇic memory: places (Dvārakā), dynastic leadership (Ugrasena), and transmission of knowledge via sages (Mārkaṇḍeya), showing the text’s coverage of genealogy, lore, and pedagogical lineages alongside technical śāstras elsewhere.

What is the spiritual or karmic significance of this specific instruction?

It highlights the purāṇic ideal that true competence and comprehensive understanding (sarvavit) arises through association with realized sages and disciplined learning, which is treated as meritorious and purifying in dharma literature.