Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 11
Chapter 338 — शृङ्गारादिरसनिरूपणम्
Exposition of the Rasas beginning with Śṛṅgāra
शृङ्गारी चेत् कविः काव्ये जातं रसमयं जगत् स चेत् कविर्वीतरागो नीरसं व्यक्तमेव तत्
śṛṅgārī cet kaviḥ kāvye jātaṃ rasamayaṃ jagat sa cet kavirvītarāgo nīrasaṃ vyaktameva tat
यदि कवि शृंगार-भाव से युक्त हो, तो काव्य में जगत् रस-परिपूर्ण हो जाता है। पर यदि वही कवि वीतराग हो, तो वह (काव्य-जगत) स्पष्ट ही नीरस—रसहीन—हो जाता है।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Aesthetic psychology for composition: the poet’s inner disposition (rāga/vītarāga) conditions rasa-production; helps in selecting themes and cultivating the right creative mood.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Kavi-bhāva as Cause of Rasa (Śṛṅgārī vs Vītarāga)","lookup_keywords":["śṛṅgāra","kavi-bhāva","vītarāga","rasa","nirasa"],"quick_summary":"States that a poet suffused with śṛṅgāra makes the poetic world rasa-rich, whereas a passionless (vītarāga) poet yields an evidently tasteless (nirasa) work."}
Alamkara Type: Vyatireka
Concept: Aesthetic creation depends on the creator’s affective participation; rasa requires lived/imagined emotional coloration.
Application: Before writing, cultivate the target bhāva (through memory, observation, music, imagery) so that vibhāvas and anubhāvas arise naturally in language.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya, Rasa, Alankara)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two poets contrasted: one in romantic mood painting the world in vivid colors; another austere, detached, producing pale, dry verses; the ‘world’ around each reflects their inner state.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural split-panel: left poet with lovers, spring motifs, bright reds/greens; right ascetic poet with muted palette and sparse scenery; expressive faces and stylized flora.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore diptych with gold: left śṛṅgārī poet amid ornate courtly romance; right vītarāga poet in simple attire with minimal background; gold used lavishly on the rasa-rich side.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore instructional contrast: labeled panels ‘śṛṅgārī kaviḥ’ and ‘vītarāga kaviḥ’; visual cues of saturation vs desaturation; fine linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: court poet composing a romance scene vs a renunciate poet writing in a quiet cell; delicate architectural interiors; nuanced color symbolism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कविर्वीतरागो = कविः + वीतरागः; व्यक्तमेव = व्यक्तम् + एव.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 338 (rasa-bhāva interdependence; rasa as kavya-soul)
FAQs
It imparts kavya-śāstra knowledge: rasa depends on the poet’s dominant inner mood—śṛṅgāra heightens rasa, while a passionless (vītarāga) temperament tends to yield rasa-less expression.
Beyond ritual and dharma, the Agni Purana also systematizes arts and sciences; here it codifies a principle of Sanskrit aesthetics (rasa and the poet’s bhāva), showing its coverage of literary theory alongside other vidyās.
It contrasts worldly passion (which energizes aesthetic rasa) with dispassion (vītarāga), implicitly pointing to the spiritual ideal of detachment—even if such detachment may not produce śṛṅgāra-driven poetic relish.