Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 6
Chapter 344: Ornaments of Word-and-Meaning (शब्दार्थालङ्काराः)
संक्षेपो वाचकैर् अल्पैर् वहोरर्थस्य संग्रहः अन्यूनाधिकता शब्दवस्तुनोर्यावदर्थता
saṃkṣepo vācakair alpair vahorarthasya saṃgrahaḥ anyūnādhikatā śabdavastunoryāvadarthatā
「saṃkṣepa（簡潔）」とは、少数の表現力ある語によって大きな意味を収めることである。語と意図された内容が不足も過剰もなく、意味にちょうど合致する状態、すなわち yāvad-arthatā である。
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purana’s didactic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Edit writing for saṃkṣepa: convey maximum meaning with minimum words while avoiding understatement or redundancy; ensure yāvad-arthatā (exact fit).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Saṃkṣepa and Yāvad-arthatā (Conciseness)","lookup_keywords":["sankshepa","yavad-arthata","alpashabda","bahvartha","anuna-adhikata"],"quick_summary":"Conciseness is compressing large meaning into few expressive words. The ideal is exact adequacy: word and intended matter are neither deficient nor excessive."}
Concept: Economy of expression is a disciplined virtue: meaning-density with exact proportionality.
Application: While composing verses, remove filler, replace periphrasis with potent words, and test each line for missing required sense (anūnatā) or surplus (adhikatā).
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya & Rhetoric: definitions of literary qualities)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scribe-poet trims a long draft into a compact verse; two scrolls show ‘before’ (many words) and ‘after’ (few words) with the same meaning, illustrating yāvad-arthatā.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, scribe with stylus and palm leaves, two manuscript bundles labeled ‘bahu-śabda’ and ‘alpa-śabda’, teacher blessing the concise version, muted temple colors","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, poet-scribe at a low desk, gold-leaf on manuscript borders, visual contrast of long and short text panels, rich maroons and greens","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with side-by-side scrolls and clear labels ‘saṃkṣepa’, ‘anūnatā’, ‘adhikatā’, fine linework and soft wash","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, calligrapher revising a folio with marginal deletions, neat studio setting, detailed paper texture, connoisseur observing the refined concise couplet"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वहोरर्थस्य = बहोः + अर्थस्य; शब्दवस्तुनोर्यावदर्थता = शब्दवस्तुनोः + यावत्-अर्थता।
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sāhitya-khaṇḍa: guṇa-doṣa definitions (adjacent verses in 344)
FAQs
It teaches a technical principle of Sanskrit poetics (Sāhitya-śāstra): saṃkṣepa—expressing extensive meaning with few words while maintaining exact adequacy (neither too little nor too much).
By giving formal lakṣaṇas (definitions) used in literary theory, it shows the Agni Purana’s scope beyond ritual and dharma—preserving systematic knowledge of kavya-style, rhetoric, and criteria for effective composition.
While primarily aesthetic/technical, it supports dharmic communication: truthful, precise, non-excessive speech aligned to meaning is treated as a disciplined use of vāṇī (speech), aiding clarity and reducing verbal harm or confusion.