Agni Purana — Bhuvanakosha & Tirtha-mahatmya, Shloka 1
Chapter 108 — भुवनकोषः
Bhuvana-kośa: The Structure of the Worlds
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे स्वायम्भुवः सर्गो नाम सप्ताधिकशततमो ऽध्यायः अथाष्टाधिकशततमो ऽध्यायः भुवनकोषः अग्निर् उवाच जम्बूप्लक्षाह्वयौ द्वीपौ शाल्मलिश्चापरो महान् कुशः क्रौञ्चस् तथा शाकः पुष्करश्चेति सप्तमः
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe svāyambhuvaḥ sargo nāma saptādhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ athāṣṭādhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ bhuvanakoṣaḥ agnir uvāca jambūplakṣāhvayau dvīpau śālmaliścāparo mahān kuśaḥ krauñcas tathā śākaḥ puṣkaraśceti saptamaḥ
Ainsi, dans l’Agni Mahāpurāṇa, le chapitre intitulé « La création Svāyambhuva » est le cent septième. Commence maintenant le cent huitième chapitre, « Bhuvana-kośa » (la structure des mondes). Agni déclara : « Jambū et Plakṣa sont des continents ; Śālmali en est un autre, grand ; puis viennent Kuśa, Krauñca, ainsi que Śāka ; et Puṣkara est le septième. »
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Jyotisha","practical_application":"Memorization of sapta-dvīpa names for puranic geography; used in cosmographic recitation, pilgrimage imagination, and traditional world-model teaching.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Sapta-dvīpa: Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmali, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka, Puṣkara","lookup_keywords":["sapta-dvīpa","Jambūdvīpa","Plakṣadvīpa","Śālmali","Puṣkara"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates the seven continents (dvīpas) in the puranic world-model, serving as the base index for subsequent descriptions of oceans, mountains, and varṣas."}
Concept: Ordered knowledge (saṅkhyāna) as a means to comprehend the cosmos; naming as a tool of cognition.
Application: Pedagogical recitation and mapping of puranic cosmography; supports later meditations on loka-structure.
Khanda Section: Cosmology (Bhuvana-kośa / Sapta-dvīpa geography)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Cosmic region
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Agni instructs a sage while a stylized bhū-maṇḍala map shows seven concentric dvīpas labeled: Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmali, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka, Puṣkara.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, concentric island rings with bold labels, Agni with flame aura teaching a rishi, lotus and wave motifs, flat iconic cartography.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, bhū-maṇḍala as a jeweled concentric diagram with gold leaf, Agni seated with ornaments, inscriptions naming dvīpas, rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clean instructional cosmography chart, pastel palette, precise concentric rings and labels, Agni pointing to the map with a teaching gesture.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, manuscript folio with a detailed circular world-map, calligraphic labels for dvīpas, scholars and Agni in a study setting, fine border illumination."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इत्य् → इति; अग्निर् उवाच → अग्निः + उवाच; शाल्मलिश्चापरो → शाल्मलिः + च + अपरः; पुष्करश्चेति → पुष्करः + च + इति; 'अध्यायः' इत्यत्र ऽ = अ (अवग्रह).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 108 (Bhuvana-kośa chapter opening and dvīpa list)
FAQs
It imparts cosmological knowledge (bhuvana-kośa-vidyā) by enumerating the seven dvīpas (continents/island-worlds) used as the framework for Purāṇic world-structure.
By shifting from a creation account (svāyambhuva-sarga) to systematic cosmic geography (bhuvana-kośa) and listing the sapta-dvīpas, it demonstrates the text’s catalog-like coverage of subjects beyond devotion—mapping, cosmography, and traditional knowledge classification.
Contemplation of the Purāṇic cosmos is traditionally treated as a form of dhārmic knowledge (jñāna) that supports right worldview and devotion, situating human life within a sacred, ordered universe governed by dharma.