Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 20
Chapter 39 — भूपरिग्रहविधानम्
Bhū-parigraha-vidhāna: Procedure for Acquiring and Ritually Securing Land
तैर् अष्टभिस्तु बालाग्रं लिख्या तैर् अष्टभिर्मता ताभिर्यूकाष्टभिः ख्याता ताश्चाष्टौ यवमध्यमः
tair aṣṭabhistu bālāgraṃ likhyā tair aṣṭabhirmatā tābhiryūkāṣṭabhiḥ khyātā tāścāṣṭau yavamadhyamaḥ
उनमें से आठ से बाल का अग्रभाग (बालाग्र) होता है; ऐसे ही आठ से जूँ (यूका) मानी गई है; और ऐसी आठ जूँ से मध्यम यव (यवमध्यम) कहा गया है।
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Provides the traditional ladder of minute measures (hair-tip, louse, barley-grain) used to standardize aṅgula/hasta and thereby iconometry, architecture, and craft measurement.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Sūkṣma-māna ladder: bālāgra → yūkā → yavamadhyama","lookup_keywords":["bālāgra","yūkā","yava","māna","aṅgula"],"quick_summary":"Gives stepwise conversions among subtle units: eight of the prior unit make the next (hair-tip, louse, then medium barley-grain), grounding later aṅgula definitions."}
Concept: Conventional standards translate natural small objects into reproducible measures.
Application: When teaching or applying śilpa/vāstu māna, cite these conversions to justify the yava-based aṅgula.
Khanda Section: Chandas / Māna-paribhāṣā (Prosody and traditional measures)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An instructional sequence: eight tiny units combine into a hair-tip measure; eight hair-tips form a louse unit; eight louse units form a medium barley-grain, shown as progressively larger icons with arrows and ‘×8’ markers.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural didactic frieze: stylized hair-tip, louse, barley-grain icons in a row, arrows and ‘aṣṭa’ markers, warm palette, temple-schoolboard feel","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore panel with gold highlights: three medallions labeled bālāgra, yūkā, yavamadhyama, each connected by gold arrows marked ‘8’, ornate border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore instructional illustration: clean line drawings of hair-tip, louse, barley grain, with numeric ‘8’ conversions, clear Sanskrit labels, minimal background","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature marginalia: delicate naturalistic barley grain and tiny insect, calligraphic notes showing eightfold steps, fine border decoration"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"fast","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अष्टभिस्तु = अष्टभिः + तु; अष्टभिर्मता = अष्टभिः + मता; ताभिर्यूकाष्टभिः = ताभिः + यूका-अष्टभिः; ताश्चाष्टौ = ताः + च + अष्टौ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 39.19-39.21 (continuous māna chain culminating in aṅgula/kara/hasta)
FAQs
It teaches a traditional chain of minute measurement-units—relating likhyā, hair-tip (bālāgra), louse (yūkā), and the standard barley measure (yava)—used in śāstric calculations and precise technical descriptions.
By preserving standardized metrological definitions, it functions like a technical handbook—supporting diverse fields (ritual construction, medicine, poetics/prosody, and crafts) that require agreed-upon measures.
Its value is primarily practical: accurate measures prevent error in śāstric practice (rites, constructions, prescriptions), aligning action with rule (vidhi) and thereby supporting correct dharmic performance.