Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 20
Chapter 228 — स्वप्नाध्यायः
Svapnādhāyaḥ / Chapter on Dreams
द्रुमाणां श्वेतपुष्पाणां गगने च तथा द्विज द्रुमतृणोद्भवो नाभौ तथा च बहुबाहुता
drumāṇāṃ śvetapuṣpāṇāṃ gagane ca tathā dvija drumatṛṇodbhavo nābhau tathā ca bahubāhutā
हे द्विज! स्वप्न में आकाश में श्वेत पुष्पों वाले वृक्ष देखना, नाभि से वृक्ष-तृण का अंकुरित होना देखना, तथा अनेक भुजाओं का होना—ये (यहाँ) वर्णित निमित्त-लक्षण हैं।
Lord Agni (narrating to a dvija/sage interlocutor in the Purāṇic dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Jyotisha","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Catalog of extraordinary dream/omen images used in lakṣaṇa-śāstra to infer specific outcomes (often high status, transformation, or otherworldly portents).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Adbhuta-svapna/lakṣaṇa-nimitta (Marvelous dream-omens)","lookup_keywords":["lakṣaṇa-śāstra","svapna-nimitta","śveta-puṣpa","nabhi-aṅkura","bahu-bāhu","adbhuta"],"quick_summary":"Lists striking dream-omens—white-flowering trees in the sky, sprouts from the navel, many arms—treated as significant lakṣaṇas requiring interpretation in prognostication."}
Concept: Nimitta as a language of the subtle order: extraordinary images signal extraordinary shifts in fortune or destiny.
Application: Treat highly anomalous dream imagery as ‘high-signal’ and seek corroboration (timing, subsequent signs, ritual context) before final prediction.
Khanda Section: Lakṣaṇa-śāstra (Samudrika / Śārīra-lakṣaṇa: omens and bodily marks)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A visionary dream tableau: white-blossomed trees floating in the sky; a human figure whose navel sprouts grasses and saplings; the same figure appearing with many arms—an uncanny omen scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, surreal sky with stylized white blossoms, central figure with lotus-like navel sprouting vines, many-armed silhouette, strong contrasts and sacred-omen atmosphere.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold leaf for white blossoms and celestial backdrop, central figure with ornate multiple arms, delicate sprouting motif at navel, framed as an auspicious/portent icon panel.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, precise illustrative rendering of each omen as separate labeled vignette (sky-trees, navel-sprouts, many arms), clean lines for educational clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, fantastical yet detailed: floating flowering trees against a pale sky, anatomically careful figure with botanical sprout at navel, multiple arms depicted with courtly finesse and subtle unease."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्रुम + तृण + उद्भवः → द्रुमतृणोद्भवः (o + u sandhi); vocative द्विज addressed to listener.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 228 (lakṣaṇa and svapna lists; continuation into devatā-dhyāna-lakṣaṇa)
FAQs
It conveys lakṣaṇa-śāstra (samudrika/omenology): interpreting extraordinary dream-visions and bodily anomalies (e.g., white-flowering trees in the sky, sprouts from the navel, many arms) as diagnostic signs with predictive value.
By cataloging omen-lore and bodily-sign interpretation alongside other disciplines, the Agni Purana functions as a compendium—preserving a technical tradition (lakṣaṇa-vidyā) used for prognosis, character-reading, and fate-indications.
Such signs are treated as karmic indicators—unusual visions/marks are read as outcomes of prior merit or demerit, prompting vigilance, purification, and dharmic conduct depending on the indicated result.