Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 1
Bala-graha-hara Bāla-tantram (बालग्रहहर बालतन्त्रम्) — Pediatric protection and graha-affliction management
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे गोनसादिचिकित्सा नाम सप्तनवत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः षष्टिव्योषगुडक्षीरयोग इति क , ज , ञ , ट च अथाष्टनवत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः बलग्रहहरबालतन्त्रम् अग्निर् उवाच बालतन्त्रं प्रवक्ष्यामि बालादिग्रहमर्दनं अथ जातदिने वत्सं ग्रही गृह्णाति पापिनी
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe gonasādicikitsā nāma saptanavatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ ṣaṣṭivyoṣaguḍakṣīrayoga iti ka , ja , ña , ṭa ca athāṣṭanavatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ balagrahaharabālatantram agnir uvāca bālatantraṃ pravakṣyāmi bālādigrahamardanaṃ atha jātadine vatsaṃ grahī gṛhṇāti pāpinī
Demikianlah dalam Agni Mahāpurāṇa berakhir bab ke-297 yang bernama “Terapi untuk gonasa dan penyakit sejenis”, termasuk ramuan “Campuran enam puluh (obat) dengan vyōṣa, gula merah, dan susu” (dikelompokkan pada ka, ja, ña, dan ṭa). Kini dimulai bab ke-298: “Bāla-tantra untuk menyingkirkan bala-graha (roh penangkap anak)”. Agni bersabda: “Aku akan mengajarkan bāla-tantra, yakni cara menundukkan/menangkal graha yang mengganggu bayi dan anak. Pada hari kelahiran itu juga, grahī yang berdosa menangkap anak/anak sapi.”
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Pediatric protection and management of bāla-graha afflictions through ritual/therapeutic measures; chapter transition also indexes formulations.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Bāla-tantra: bāla-graha-hara introduction (chapter colophon + nidāna opening)","lookup_keywords":["bāla-tantra","bāla-graha","grahī","newborn day seizure","Agni Purana 298"],"quick_summary":"Introduces the pediatric tantra section on warding child-seizing spirits (bāla-grahas), noting onset from birth-day and framing subsequent protective procedures."}
Concept: Rakṣā (protective duty) toward infants as a dhārmic obligation, integrating seen/unseen causality in care.
Application: Establish household neonatal protection protocols (rakṣā, hygiene, calm environment, timely care) while following prescribed rites/therapies.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda & Bhuta/Bala-Graha Tantra (Pediatric protective rites and spirit-affliction therapy)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A newborn in a cradle while a shadowy grahī approaches; Agni (as teacher) instructs sages/physician on bāla-tantra protections; ritual items nearby.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Agni as radiant teacher seated with palm-leaf manuscript, infant in cradle at side, protective circle and lamps, faint grahī silhouette at edge, bold outlines and traditional palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, Agni with gold halo teaching, ornate cradle scene with protective amulets, gold-embossed lamps and ritual vessels, grahī depicted symbolically as subdued dark form","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout: Agni instructing, mid-panel newborn care scene with labeled protective items (lamp, incense, thread), soft colors and clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic zenana courtyard with cradle, physician-priest reading from text, subtle supernatural presence in background, fine architectural detail and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ity = iti; adhyāyo ' = adhyāyaḥ + (a-); agnir uvāca = agniḥ + uvāca. Some header/title material included as in source.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 297 (gonasādi-cikitsā; ṣaṣṭi-vyoṣa-guḍa-kṣīra-yoga colophon); Agni Purana 298 (bāla-graha-hara section begins)
FAQs
It introduces Bāla-tantra—pediatric protective and therapeutic measures aimed at repelling/neutralizing bala-grahas (child-afflicting spirits), while also marking the close of a prior Ayurvedic treatment chapter and its listed formulation.
In a single transition it moves from pharmacological formulation cataloging (yoga in cikitsā) to applied protective spirit-therapy for newborns (graha-hara tantra), showing the text’s breadth across medicine, ritual protection, and practical household concerns.
By framing infant affliction as a graha attack and teaching its warding, the passage presents protection of the vulnerable as a dharmic duty—reducing harm, fear, and impurity associated with malevolent forces at birth.