Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 7
Viṣṇu-Pañjara (विष्णुपञ्जरम्) — The Protective Armor of Viṣṇu
शार्ङ्गविस्फूर्जितञ्चैव वासुदेवस्य मद्रिपून् तिर्यङ्मनुष्यकुष्माण्डप्रेतादीन् हन्त्वशेषतः
śārṅgavisphūrjitañcaiva vāsudevasya madripūn tiryaṅmanuṣyakuṣmāṇḍapretādīn hantvaśeṣataḥ
Dan semoga dentang menggelegar busur Śārṅga milik Vāsudeva membinasakan musuh-musuhku sepenuhnya—baik mereka hewan, manusia, kuṣmāṇḍa, preta, dan lainnya—tanpa sisa.
Lord Agni (narrating the kavacha material to the sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","practical_application":"Kavaca-style invocation of Viṣṇu’s bow-sound (Śārṅga) to annihilate enemies and hostile classes of beings (human, animal, spirit).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Mantra","entry_title":"Śārṅga-visphūrjita Kavaca (Protective Bow-Twang of Vāsudeva)","lookup_keywords":["Śārṅga","Vāsudeva","visphūrjita","kavaca","kuṣmāṇḍa-preta"],"quick_summary":"The thunderous twang of Vāsudeva’s Śārṅga is invoked as a sonic-weapon. It is meant to destroy enemies across categories—tiryak, humans, and spirit-beings like kuṣmāṇḍas and pretas."}
Alamkara Type: Dhvani/Śabda-śakti (suggestive power of sound)
Weapon Type: Bow (Śārṅga)
Concept: Bhakti-infused mantra turns divine attributes (āyudha, nāda) into protective agency against seen and unseen adversaries.
Application: Recite as kavaca during travel, conflict, or fear of spirit-harm; visualize Śārṅga’s twang radiating outward as a protective shockwave.
Khanda Section: Mantra-Kavacha & Vishnu-Bhakti (Protective Hymns and Apotropaic Formulae)
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vāsudeva stands with Śārṅga drawn; the bow-string releases a thunderous twang depicted as concentric sound-waves that shatter hostile beings—animals, men, kuṣmāṇḍas, pretas—into retreating silhouettes.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Vāsudeva with Śārṅga, bold sound-wave arcs in stylized patterns, demons/spirits and foes scattering, warm earthy palette, sacred symmetry","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, Vāsudeva richly ornamented with gold work, Śārṅga emphasized, embossed sound-waves in gold, enemies miniaturized at the bottom fleeing, devotional kavaca mood","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, refined facial features, clear depiction of bow mechanics, labeled categories of foes in margins, sound-waves rendered as neat bands, instructional-protective composition","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed archer posture, fine line sound ripples, mixed crowd of foes (humans, animals, spirits) dispersing, architectural backdrop, delicate palette"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"martial-protective","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: visphūrjitañcaiva = visphūrjitam + ca + eva; tiryaṅmanuṣyakuṣmāṇḍapretādīn resolved as tiryaṅ-manuṣya-kuṣmāṇḍa-preta-ādīn.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Mantra-kavaca sections invoking Viṣṇu’s āyudhas (śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, padma, dhanus); Agni Purana rakṣā-prayoga lists of hostile beings (bhūta, preta, kuṣmāṇḍa)
FAQs
It gives a kavacha-style protective application: invoking Vāsudeva’s Śārṅga-nāda (the bow’s reverberant twang) as an apotropaic force to annihilate hostile beings, including spirit-classes like kuṣmāṇḍas and pretas.
Alongside theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical ritual technology—kavachas, spirit-taxonomies (preta, kuṣmāṇḍa), and protective invocations—showing how devotion is operationalized as a concrete protective rite.
The verse frames protection as refuge in Vāsudeva’s power: hostile forces (human or non-human) are neutralized through remembrance/invocation, reinforcing faith (bhakti) and the purification of one’s environment from harmful influences.