Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 5
Chapter 17 — सृष्टिविषयकवर्णनम्
An Account Concerning Creation
रसमात्रा आप इतो गन्धमात्रा मही स्मृता अहङ्कारात्तामसात्तु तैजसानीन्द्रियाणि च
rasamātrā āpa ito gandhamātrā mahī smṛtā ahaṅkārāttāmasāttu taijasānīndriyāṇi ca
Di sini air dipahami tersusun dari tanmātra rasa semata; dan bumi diingat sebagai tersusun dari tanmātra bau semata. Dan dari ahaṅkāra yang tāmasa lahir pula indriya-indriya yang bersifat taijasa (daya tindakan dan pengetahuan).
Lord Agni (in discourse to the sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Completes the element-quality mapping (taste→water, smell→earth) and links tamasic ahaṅkāra with the production of sense-faculties via taijasa mediation—useful for systematic teaching of tattvas and sense psychology.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Rasa-Āpaḥ, Gandha-Pṛthivī; Indriya-utpatti from Tāmasa Ahaṅkāra","lookup_keywords":["apas rasa","prithivi gandha","tamasa ahankara","indriya utpatti","taijasa"],"quick_summary":"Water is characterized by the subtle potential of taste and earth by smell. The verse also states that from tamasic egoity (with taijasa as the activating factor) arise the sense faculties."}
Concept: Gross elements are defined by dominant subtle qualities; sensory apparatus is an evolute of egoity under guṇa dynamics (tamas activated by rajas).
Application: Mind-training: recognize how tamas (dullness) and rajas (impulse) condition sense-driven behavior; cultivate sattva to regulate indriyas.
Khanda Section: Sāṅkhya–Tattva / Sṛṣṭi-krama (Cosmology and categories of matter)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A continuation of the element chain: a droplet/ocean motif labeled ‘rasa’ becoming water, then a fertile earth motif labeled ‘gandha’; alongside, a branching diagram showing indriyas emerging from tamasic ahaṅkāra energized by taijasa.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, water as stylized blue-green waves with taste-symbols, earth as ochre-brown field with fragrant flowers, side panel of indriya-branches from a dark tamas node, traditional bold outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, rich gold accents on water pot and earth mound, jeweled labels for rasa and gandha, decorative indriya icons (ear/skin/eye/tongue/nose; hand/foot/speech/excretion/procreation) arranged symmetrically","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear didactic chart: water and earth icons with arrows from tanmātras, indriya set shown as ten small emblems, neat Sanskrit captions","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined naturalism: river and soil with flowers, small inset diagram of indriyas branching from a central node, manuscript-illustration aesthetic"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kharaharapriya","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: रसमात्रा (पाठ) taken as रस-मात्राः (tanmātrāḥ) by sense; तैजसानीन्द्रियाणि = तैजसानि + इन्द्रियाणि; अहङ्कारात्तामसात्तु = अहङ्कारात् + तामसात् + तु.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 17.4 (ākāśa-vāyu-agni); Agni Purana 17.6 (deities and mind as indriya)
FAQs
It imparts Sāṅkhya-tattva knowledge: the mapping of gross elements (water, earth) to their subtle tanmātras (taste, smell) and the derivation of indriyas from egoity (ahaṅkāra) via its guṇa-aspects.
By embedding classical Sāṅkhya metaphysics—tanmātra–mahābhūta relations and indriya-origination—alongside other disciplines, it shows the Agni Purāṇa’s multi-subject, reference-manual character.
It supports viveka (discriminative insight) by showing sensory experience and materiality as evolutes of prakṛti; such understanding is traditionally used to reduce identification with the senses and weaken ego-based karma.