Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 61
Āgneya-Purāṇa-māhātmya
The Greatness and Self-Testimony of the Agni Purāṇa
अलङ्कारो विघण्डुश् च शिक्षाकल्प इहोदितः स्मृतः नैमित्तिकः प्राकृतिको लय आत्यन्तिकः
alaṅkāro vighaṇḍuś ca śikṣākalpa ihoditaḥ smṛtaḥ naimittikaḥ prākṛtiko laya ātyantikaḥ
અહીં અલંકાર, વિઘંડુ તથા શિક્ષા-કલ્પ જણાવાયા છે. અને લય (પ્રલય) ત્રણ પ્રકારનો સ્મૃત છે—નૈમિત્તિક, પ્રાકૃતિક અને આત્યંતિક।
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Use as a dual-reference: (1) locating kāvya tools (alaṅkāra, lexicon/word-division aids like vighaṇḍu, and śikṣā-kalpa for correct recitation/ritual procedure), and (2) classifying cosmic dissolution (laya) into naimittika, prākṛtika, and ātyantika for doctrinal teaching.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Laya-traya (Naimittika–Prākṛtika–Ātyantika) with Śāstra-nāma-saṅgraha","lookup_keywords":["Alankara","Vighandu","Shiksha Kalpa","Naimittika laya","Prakritika Atyantika"],"quick_summary":"Names key literary/recitational disciplines and defines three dissolutions: periodic (naimittika), elemental/natural (prākṛtika), and final/absolute (ātyantika), useful for cosmology and liberation doctrine."}
Alamkara Type: Alamkara-shastra (general category; specific figures not enumerated here)
Concept: Threefold dissolution culminating in ātyantika (final) dissolution aligned with liberation; periodic and elemental dissolutions frame cosmic cycles.
Application: For teaching cosmology: map naimittika to periodic pralaya, prākṛtika to dissolution into prakṛti/tattvas, and ātyantika to cessation of bondage through knowledge.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Alankara-shastra / Kavya-vidya)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A split composition: on one side a poet-scholar with manuscript labeled 'Alaṅkāra' and a lexicon/word-splitting scroll labeled 'Vighaṇḍu', alongside a reciter demonstrating phonetic marks (Śikṣā-Kalpa); on the other side three cosmic panels showing naimittika (worlds dissolving at a kalpa-end), prākṛtika (elements merging back), and ātyantika (a yogin in stillness beyond dissolution).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-register narrative: upper register shows cosmic dissolution in three vignettes with stylized waves, fire, and merging elements; lower register shows a scholar with palm-leaf texts titled Alaṅkāra, Vighaṇḍu, Śikṣā-Kalpa; flat iconic forms, ochres and reds","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold work: central meditative yogin symbolizing ātyantika, flanked by two gold-framed panels of naimittika and prākṛtika dissolution; foreground scholar holding ornate manuscript 'Alaṅkāra'; rich jewel tones","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic diagram-like layout: three labeled circles for laya types with small illustrative scenes; a teacher pointing with stylus; delicate shading and clean labels","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholarly atelier with cosmological chart; margins depict three dissolutions as miniature scenes; fine architectural detail, calligraphic labels for naimittika/prākṛtika/ātyantika"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इहोदितः = इह + उदितः (स्वर-सन्धिः). विघण्डुश् च = विघण्डुः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: उः + च → उश् च).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 382 (Alamkara-shastra / Vidya-saṅgraha context)
FAQs
It catalogs disciplines being taught—Alankāra (Sanskrit poetics/ornamentation), Śikṣā-kalpa (instructional/phonetic rules in a kalpa-like format), and then defines the technical threefold classification of laya (dissolution): naimittika, prākṛtika, and ātyantika.
A single verse bridges literary science (Alankāra), pedagogical/phonetic auxiliary learning (Śikṣā), and cosmological doctrine (types of pralaya), showing how the Agni Purana compiles multiple knowledge-systems side by side.
By distinguishing temporary, cosmic, and ultimate dissolution, the verse supports a graduated spiritual view: worldly events are causally conditioned (naimittika), creation itself is cyclic (prākṛtika), and liberation culminates in final cessation/absorption (ātyantika), encouraging detachment and pursuit of mokṣa.