Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 20
Discrimination of the Qualities of Poetry (Kāvya-guṇa-viveka) — Closing Verse/Colophon Transition
मला इति क , ज च कष्टपादादर्थान्तरक्रमादिति ट प्रयुक्तचरशब्देनेति ज , ञ च अभावेपि तयोरन्तर्व्यवधानास्त्रिधैव सा अन्तरा पदवाक्याभ्यां प्रतिभेदं पुनर्द्विधा
malā iti ka , ja ca kaṣṭapādādarthāntarakramāditi ṭa prayuktacaraśabdeneti ja , ña ca abhāvepi tayorantarvyavadhānāstridhaiva sā antarā padavākyābhyāṃ pratibhedaṃ punardvidhā
‘मला’—ऐसा क और ज आचार्य कहते हैं; और ‘कष्ट’—कठिन पाद (कष्टपाद) या अर्थ-क्रम के अन्यथा हो जाने से उत्पन्न होता है—ऐसा ट का मत है। तथा ‘प्रयुक्तचरशब्द’—ऐसा ज और ञ कहते हैं। उन कारणों के अभाव में भी ‘अन्तर्व्यवधान’ (भीतरी व्यवधान) तीन प्रकार का होता है; और वही ‘अन्तरा’ पदों के बीच या वाक्यों के बीच होने के अनुसार फिर दो प्रकार का है।
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha) — within the Agni Purana’s didactic compendium style
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Text-critical and pedagogical mapping of variant scholastic opinions (Ka/Ja/Ṭa/Ña) on definitions (malā, kaṣṭa, prayukta-cara-śabda) and a precise taxonomy of internal separation (antar-vyavadhāna) by type and locus (between words vs between sentences).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Antar-vyavadhāna taxonomy and scholastic variants","lookup_keywords":["antar-vyavadhāna","antarā","malā-doṣa","kaṣṭa-pāda","pada-vākya-bheda"],"quick_summary":"Authorities differ on certain labels and derivations, but internal separation is systematized as threefold, and ‘antarā’ is further divided by whether the separation occurs at the word-level or sentence-level—useful for pinpointing where coherence breaks."}
Alamkara Type: Doṣa (Vyavadhāna / Antarā) with scholastic bheda
Concept: Knowledge is refined by classification and by recording ācārya-variant readings; analytical granularity (pada vs vākya) improves diagnosis.
Application: When a passage feels disjointed, decide whether the break is within a word-chain (pada-level) or across clauses/sentences (vākya-level), then apply the relevant subtype of antar-vyavadhāna to guide reordering or emendation.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Sanskrit Grammar & Poetics: Sandhi/Varna-vicara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scholastic scene: multiple named authorities’ opinions are written in the margins (Ka, Ja, Ṭa, Ña). A central chart shows antar-vyavadhāna as threefold, then a split into pada-level vs vākya-level ‘antarā’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple-school setting with palm-leaf bundles, marginalia-like labels Ka/Ja/Ṭa/Ña stylized, central threefold diagram as lotus with three petals, then two sub-petals for pada/vākya.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embossed taxonomy chart framed like a shrine panel, guru seated with four small medallions labeled Ka Ja Ṭa Ña, rich colors and ornamental borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, crisp instructional plate: hierarchical tree (3-fold then 2-fold), annotations of variant authorities, fine linework and readable Devanagari, calm classroom scene.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, learned assembly debating, one scholar pointing to a folio with a branching diagram, margins filled with abbreviated authority names, intricate carpet and architectural backdrop."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: arthāntarakramāditi: अर्थान्तरक्रमात् + इति; prayuktacaraśabdeneti: प्रयुक्तचरशब्देन + इति; abhāvepi: अभावे + अपि; tayorantarvyavadhānāḥ: तयोः + अन्तर् + व्यवधानाः; padavākyābhyām: पद + वाक्याभ्याम् (dvandva). Manuscript markers (ka, ja, ṭa, ña) treated as indeclinable sigla.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 346.16 (kaṣṭa-pāda and arthāntara as causes); Agni Purana 346.19 (vyavadhāna as a cause of vyasta-sambandha)
FAQs
It teaches a technical classification used in Sanskrit linguistic analysis: ‘antarā’ (internal interval/juncture) and ‘antar-vyavadhāna’ (internal separation), including its threefold nature and the twofold subdivision by word-level (pada) and sentence-level (vākya) contexts.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves compact rules from śāstric disciplines like grammar and poetics—here, a specialized taxonomy of linguistic/junctural phenomena—showing it functions as a broad knowledge compendium.
Its value is primarily śāstric and educational: correct understanding of words, meanings, and their divisions supports accurate recitation, interpretation, and transmission of sacred texts—considered meritorious through preserving and applying right knowledge (vidyā).