Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 36
Chapter 342: शब्दालङ्काराः
Verbal/Sound-based Ornaments
तत्तत्प्रसिद्धवस्तूनां बन्ध इत्य् अभिधीयते गोमूत्रिकार्धभ्रमणे सर्वतोभद्रमम्बुजम्
tattatprasiddhavastūnāṃ bandha ity abhidhīyate gomūtrikārdhabhramaṇe sarvatobhadramambujam
प्रसिद्ध वस्तुओं के आकार में जो विन्यास रचा जाए, उसे ‘बन्ध’ कहा जाता है। ‘गोमूत्रिका’ के अर्ध-भ्रमण में ‘सर्वतोभद्र’ तथा ‘अम्बुज’ (कमल) नामक रचनाएँ बनती हैं।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Natya","practical_application":"Designing citra-kavya (pattern/shape poetry) layouts such as lotus and all-auspicious grids for manuscripts, inscriptions, and pedagogical demonstrations of varṇa-vinyāsa.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Bandha (Citra-kavya) and Gomūtrikā Half-turn: Sarvatobhadra & Ambuja","lookup_keywords":["bandha","gomūtrikā","sarvatobhadra","ambuja","citra-kāvya"],"quick_summary":"Bandha is the shaped arrangement of syllables/letters into recognizable forms. A specific looping layout (gomūtrikā-ardha-bhramaṇa) yields sarvatobhadra (all-directionally auspicious) and ambuja (lotus) designs."}
Alamkara Type: Citra (Bandha-kāvya)
Concept: Knowledge can be systematized as reproducible patterns (bandha) where form itself becomes a carrier of meaning and auspiciousness.
Application: Use formal constraints to generate teachable, verifiable poetic designs; employ symmetry for memorability and ritual/ornamental value.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Chandas & Alankara: figures of speech and poetic/metrical techniques)
Primary Rasa: Adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scribe lays out syllables in a looping gomūtrikā half-turn, producing a symmetric sarvatobhadra grid and a lotus (ambuja) shaped poem-diagram.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural aesthetic, flat yet rich colors, a palm-leaf manuscript scene with a learned poet drawing a lotus-shaped akṣara-bandha and a square sarvatobhadra grid, ornate borders, traditional lamps, calm scholarly ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on a central lotus diagram made of Sanskrit syllables, framed manuscript and stylus, symmetrical sarvatobhadra square with gilded accents, deep reds and greens, temple-like decorative arch.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework showing step-by-step akṣara placement into ambuja and sarvatobhadra, instructional diagram feel, muted palette, delicate ornamentation, scholar seated with manuscript tools.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed atelier scene with calligrapher-poet arranging Devanagari syllables into a lotus and a symmetric square grid, patterned carpet, precise geometry, subtle shading and architectural interior."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्तत्प्रसिद्धवस्तूनाम् = तत् तत् प्रसिद्ध-वस्तूनाम्; इत्य् अभिधीयते = इति अभिधीयते; सर्वतोभद्रमम्बुजम् = सर्वतोभद्रम् अम्बुजम्; गोमूत्रिकार्धभ्रमणे = गोमूत्रिका-अर्ध-भ्रमणे
Related Themes: Agni Purana 342 (Sahitya-shastra: chandas, alankara, citra-bandha sections)
FAQs
It teaches a technical principle of chitra-kavya/bandha: how verses or syllables can be arranged into recognizable shapes, specifically naming the gomūtrikā half-turn that yields sarvatobhadra and lotus (ambuja) patterns.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana catalogs literary science—definitions and taxonomies of patterned compositions (bandhas), showing it functions as a reference work for Sanskrit poetics and aesthetic techniques.
While primarily literary-technical, such ‘auspicious’ (bhadra) symmetric patterns were traditionally associated with auspiciousness and merit through refined, dharmic learning and the beautification of sacred or laudatory compositions.