Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 60
Abhiṣeka-mantrāḥ
Consecration Mantras
छन्दोगानि च वेदाश् च मीमांसा न्यायविस्तरः धर्मशास्त्रं पुराणञ्च विद्या ह्य् एताश् चतुर्दश
chandogāni ca vedāś ca mīmāṃsā nyāyavistaraḥ dharmaśāstraṃ purāṇañca vidyā hy etāś caturdaśa
છંદો અને વેદો; મીમાંસા અને ન્યાયનો વિસ્તૃત પ્રણાલી; ધર્મશાસ્ત્ર અને પુરાણ—આ જ ખરેખર ચૌદ વિદ્યાઓ છે.
Lord Agni (traditional frame: Agni instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Samanya","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Framing an encyclopedic syllabus (caturdaśa-vidyā): used to plan education for priests, administrators, debaters, and cultured elites; also to classify library/catalogue holdings.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Caturdaśa-vidyā-sthāna: Fourteen branches of learning","lookup_keywords":["caturdaśa-vidyā","Mīmāṃsā","Nyāya","Dharmaśāstra","Purāṇa"],"quick_summary":"Defines a canonical set of fourteen knowledge-domains—Veda with chandas, Mīmāṃsā, Nyāya, Dharmaśāstra, and Purāṇa—presenting a complete traditional curriculum for dharma and reasoning."}
Concept: A complete intellectual life integrates revelation (Veda), interpretation (Mīmāṃsā), reasoning (Nyāya), normativity (Dharmaśāstra), and narrative/collective memory (Purāṇa).
Application: Balanced training: ritual competence, logical debate, ethical governance, and cultural literacy; useful for rāja-sabhā scholars and temple institutions.
Khanda Section: Vidya-Sangraha (Enumeration of the Fourteen Vidyās / Encyclopedic Learning)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic ‘tree of knowledge’ with fourteen labeled branches: Veda, Chandas, Mīmāṃsā, Nyāya, Dharmaśāstra, Purāṇa, etc., shown as manuscripts and personified scholars debating.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: a sacred banyan ‘vidyā-vṛkṣa’ with fourteen labeled branches; at the base, sages reciting Veda; to one side, debaters in Nyāya posture; to another, a dharma-judge with śāstra; Purāṇa storyteller with audience; bold colors and ornamental borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central golden vidyā-vṛkṣa with embossed labels; surrounding vignettes—Vedic recitation, Mīmāṃsā ritual exegesis, Nyāya debate, Dharmaśāstra adjudication, Purāṇa kathā; heavy gold work and jewel tones","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clean instructional composition; fourteen manuscript bundles arranged in a mandala with labels; small figures demonstrating debate (tarka) and recitation; soft shading, precise linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: scholarly salon with multiple groups—reciters, logicians, jurists, storytellers; shelves of manuscripts; a central chart listing fourteen vidyās in elegant calligraphy; refined architectural interior"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bilawal","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वेदाश् च → वेदाः च; पुराणञ्च → पुराणम् च; ह्य् एताश् → हि एताः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 219.59 (Upaveda–Vedāṅga enumeration immediately preceding)
FAQs
It classifies core disciplines of traditional learning—Vedic metres (chandas), Vedic corpus, ritual-interpretive hermeneutics (Mīmāṃsā), formal reasoning (Nyāya), normative law (Dharmaśāstra), and Purāṇic doctrine/history—as part of the canonical set of fourteen vidyās.
By explicitly mapping multiple knowledge-systems—textual (Veda/Purāṇa), technical-linguistic (chandas), interpretive (Mīmāṃsā), analytical (Nyāya), and juridical-ethical (Dharmaśāstra)—it signals that the Agni Purāṇa functions as a compendium that organizes and legitimizes diverse śāstric domains.
The verse frames these disciplines as sanctioned vidyās; studying and applying them supports right understanding of dharma, correct ritual interpretation, ethical conduct, and sound reasoning—seen in Purāṇic thought as conducive to merit (puṇya) and clarity in religious practice.