Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 2
Chapter 336 — काव्यादिलक्षणम्
Definitions of Poetry and Related Arts
शास्त्रेतिहासवाक्यानां त्रयं यत्र समाप्यते शास्त्रे शब्दप्रधानत्वमितिहासेषु निष्ठता
śāstretihāsavākyānāṃ trayaṃ yatra samāpyate śāstre śabdapradhānatvamitihāseṣu niṣṭhatā
Di mana tiga ragam pernyataan—milik śāstra dan itihāsa—ditetapkan dengan tuntas, di dalam śāstra yang utama adalah kata dan perumusannya; sedangkan dalam itihāsa yang ditekankan ialah keteguhan makna serta kesetiaan pada kebenaran kisah.
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śāstretihāsavākyānāṃ → śāstra-itihāsa-vākyānām; śabdapradhānatvam itihāseṣu → śabda-pradhānatvam itihāseṣu.
FAQs
It imparts a technical hermeneutic distinction: śāstra is evaluated primarily by precise verbal formulation (śabda-pradhāna), whereas itihāsa is valued for fixed purport and faithful narrative intent (niṣṭhatā).
By defining how different knowledge-genres function—treatise versus epic narrative—it equips readers to interpret diverse subjects in the Agni Purana (ritual, law, medicine, poetics) using genre-appropriate standards of authority.
Correctly discerning genre—treatise by exact wording and epic by settled purport—supports right understanding (samyag-jñāna), reducing interpretive error and thereby strengthening dharmic practice and scriptural confidence.