Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 5
Chapter 242 — पुरुषलक्षणं
Purusha-Lakshana): Marks of a Man (Physiognomy
चतुष्किष्कुश् चतुर्दंष्ट्रः शुक्लकृष्णस्तथैव च चतुर्गन्धश् चतुर्ह्रस्वः सूक्ष्मदीर्घश् च पञ्चसु
catuṣkiṣkuś caturdaṃṣṭraḥ śuklakṛṣṇastathaiva ca caturgandhaś caturhrasvaḥ sūkṣmadīrghaś ca pañcasu
वह ‘चतुष्किष्कु’ (चार अंग/भागों वाला), ‘चतुर्दंष्ट्र’ (चार दंष्ट्राओं वाला) तथा श्वेत और कृष्ण वर्ण का भी कहा गया है। उसमें ‘चतुर्गन्ध’ (चार प्रकार की गंध), ‘चतुर्ह्रस्व’ (चार प्रकार की लघुता) और पंचों में ‘सूक्ष्मदीर्घ’ (सूक्ष्म तथा दीर्घ) गुण होते हैं।
Lord Agni (teaching to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Occult/diagnostic reading of anomalous bodily traits (color duality, odors, dentition, proportions) for prognostics, spirit-influence assessment, or ritual decision-making.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Bhūta/Occult-lakṣaṇa: catuṣ- and pañca-based trait clusters","lookup_keywords":["bhuta-lakshana","caturdamshtra","caturgandha","shukla-krishna","sukshma-dirgha"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates clustered bodily/phenomenal traits (fourfold and fivefold groupings) used in occult physiognomy to classify persons by unusual markers such as dentition, odor, coloration, and proportion."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: Lakṣaṇa-reading extends to liminal/occult domains: the body’s anomalies are treated as signs indicating hidden conditions or influences.
Application: Use as a cautionary screening rubric in ritual/social contexts; alternatively reinterpret as prompts for medical evaluation.
Khanda Section: Tantric-Bhuta-Lakshana (Occult physiology and diagnostic marks)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An esoteric diagnostic scene: a practitioner notes unusual traits—prominent fangs, dual coloration (white/black), and symbolic ‘four odors/four shortnesses’—with a fivefold classification wheel indicating ‘subtle’ and ‘long’ among five categories.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic, stylized figure with contrasting white/black body sections; a tantric diagnostician holding a palm-leaf chart of fourfold and fivefold symbols; deep reds and blacks, ritual ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central figure with highlighted teeth and contrasting complexion; gold-embossed yantra-like diagram showing catuṣ and pañca groupings; ornate frame, temple-lamp motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: technical illustration style—annotated figure with callouts for dentition, odor, proportion; a circular chart dividing traits into four and five segments; clean, readable layout.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: a learned occultist/physician examining a subject; subtle depiction of dual coloration and emphasized teeth; marginalia showing a fourfold grid and fivefold wheel; intimate indoor study with instruments and manuscripts."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: catuṣkiṣkuś = catuṣ-kiṣkuḥ; śuklakṛṣṇas = śukla-kṛṣṇaḥ; caturgandhaś = catur-gandhaḥ; caturhrasvaḥ unchanged; sūkṣmadīrghaś = sūkṣma-dīrghaḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana samudrika/bhūta-lakṣaṇa passages around this verse (same adhyāya cluster)
FAQs
This verse lists diagnostic ‘lakṣaṇas’—formal identifying markers (color, fangs, odors, bodily proportions) used in a fivefold classification to recognize a particular non-human/occult type described in the chapter.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa catalogues applied knowledge systems—here, a taxonomy of occult beings/conditions using standardized physical and sensory descriptors, akin to a technical handbook of signs.
By correctly identifying such lakṣaṇas, a practitioner is implied to avoid harmful contact, choose appropriate counter-measures, and maintain ritual/psychic purity—reducing fear, confusion, and karmically risky actions born of misrecognition.