Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 21
Chapter 338 — शृङ्गारादिरसनिरूपणम्
Exposition of the Rasas beginning with Śṛṅgāra
दुःखानन्दादिजन्नेत्रजलमश्रु च विश्रुतम् इन्द्रयाणामस्तमयः प्रलयो लङ्घनादिभिः
duḥkhānandādijannetrajalamaśru ca viśrutam indrayāṇāmastamayaḥ pralayo laṅghanādibhiḥ
દુઃખ, આનંદ વગેરેમાંથી ઉત્પન્ન થતું આંખનું પાણી ‘અશ્રુ’ તરીકે પ્રસિદ્ધ છે. અને ઉપવાસ વગેરે કારણે ઇન્દ્રિયોના અસ્તમય (નિષ્ક્રિય થવું) ને ‘પ્રલય’ કહે છે।
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Defines terms used in poetics/natya (aśru, pralaya) while also mapping them to physiological/behavioral signs useful for observation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Aśru and Pralaya (tears and sensory cessation/fainting)","lookup_keywords":["ashru","netra-jala","pralaya","indriya-astamaya","langhana"],"quick_summary":"Aśru is eye-water produced by sorrow/joy etc.; pralaya is the ‘setting’ of the senses (fainting/cessation) caused by fasting and similar factors—useful in drama depiction and symptom recognition."}
Concept: Inner emotion expresses through involuntary bodily signs (aśru) and extreme depletion can cause sensory withdrawal (pralaya).
Application: In arts: portray tears/swoon as authentic markers; in life: recognize limits of austerity and maintain bodily support.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya-śāstra / Alaṅkāra and Poetics)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dramatic figure sheds tears from sorrow/joy; another collapses or becomes senseless due to fasting, with senses ‘setting’ like lamps going out.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, expressive eyes with stylized tear drops, second figure reclining in faint, attendants offering water, bold outlines and temple palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, devotional-drama mood: tearful face with gold highlights, fainting figure supported by companions, ornate gold borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, stage-like instructional depiction of sattvika-bhavas: aśru (tears) and pralaya (swoon) labeled, subtle expressions and gentle shading","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court performance scene: actor with tears, another swooning from austerity, musicians at side, intricate costumes and architecture"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दुःखानन्दादिजन्नेत्रजलम् = दुःख + आनन्द + आदि + जन्(=जन्म) + नेत्र + जलम्; नेत्रजलमश्रु = नेत्रजलम् + अश्रु; इन्द्रयाणामस्तमयः = इन्द्रियाणाम् + अस्तमयः (यण्-सन्धिः: इ + अ → य + अ).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sahitya/Natya definitional run around 338.19–338.22
FAQs
It gives technical lakṣaṇas used in Sanskrit poetics: defining aśru (tears) as an eye-response arising from emotions, and pralaya as sensory cessation (a swoon-like state) triggered by causes such as laṅghana (fasting/abstention).
Alongside ritual and dharma topics, the Agni Purana also preserves kavya-śāstra terminology—cataloguing psychological and bodily responses (anubhāvas) like tears and pralaya—showing its broad, reference-style coverage of classical Indian knowledge systems.
By classifying states like fasting-induced sensory withdrawal (pralaya/indriya-astamaya), it indirectly supports disciplines of restraint (saṃyama) and self-observation—qualities valued for purification and steadiness of mind in spiritual practice.