Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 7
Adhyaya 223 — Rājadharmāḥ
Royal Duties: Inner Palace Governance, Trivarga Protection, Courtly Conduct, and Aromatic/Hygienic Sciences
स्पृष्टा धुनोति गात्राणि गात्रञ्च विरुणद्धि या ईषच्छृणोति वाक्यानि प्रियाण्यपि पराङ्मुखी
spṛṣṭā dhunoti gātrāṇi gātrañca viruṇaddhi yā īṣacchṛṇoti vākyāni priyāṇyapi parāṅmukhī
ពេលត្រូវប៉ះ នាងញ័រចេញពីអវយវៈ ហើយទាញរាងកាយថយចេញ; នាងស្តាប់ពាក្យតែពាក់កណ្តាល សូម្បីពាក្យផ្អែមរបស់អ្នកស្រឡាញ់ ក៏នៅតែបង្វែរមុខចេញ។
Lord Agni (teaching to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Natya","practical_application":"Staging and composing the ‘parāṅmukhī/viraktā’ heroine through touch-avoidance, bodily recoil, and half-attention to speech.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Sparśa-dveṣa-lakṣaṇa (touch-avoidance signs)","lookup_keywords":["sparśa","dhunoti-gātrāṇi","viruṇaddhi-gātram","īṣacchṛṇoti","parāṅmukhī"],"quick_summary":"Recoil from touch, drawing the body away, and only half-hearing even sweet words—while turning away—are canonical outward signs of aversion used in poetic characterization and performance."}
Alamkara Type: Anubhāva-varṇana (gesture-catalog)
Concept: Non-violence in intimacy: aversion is communicated through body-language and must be honored.
Application: In relationships and social conduct, interpret withdrawal cues as boundaries; respond with restraint and respectful distance.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya/Alankara: Nayika-bheda and love-signs)
Primary Rasa: shringara
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A woman is lightly touched; she shakes her limbs as if to brush off the touch, draws her body away, turns her face aside, and listens only partially to the beloved’s words.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized couple, nāyikā recoiling with a clear hand gesture brushing away touch, face turned, bold outlines, warm interior palette, expressive eyes showing displeasure.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold work, nāyikā leaning back and turning away, raised hand in refusal, jeweled ornaments, ornate pillars, the lover speaking softly, rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, fine lines, focus on abhinaya: torso angled away, hand brushing shoulder, half-turned face, speech indicated by subtle gesture, clean background for clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate palace scene, the lover reaching gently, nāyikā recoiling and turning away, attendants in background, detailed textiles and carpet patterns."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gātrañca → gātram + ca; īṣacchṛṇoti → īṣat + śṛṇoti; priyāṇyapi → priyāṇi + api; पराङ्मुखी is बहुव्रीहि (one whose face is turned away).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 223 (nāyikā-bheda and love-signs sequence)
FAQs
It imparts kavya-śāstra knowledge: behavioral markers (anubhāvas) used to identify a heroine’s emotional state—averting the face, withdrawing the body, and only faintly listening despite affection.
Beyond ritual and dharma, the Agni Purana also codifies Sanskrit literary science (sāhitya/alankāra), giving systematic criteria for emotions and character-types used in poetry and drama.
Indirectly, it refines discernment (viveka) and ethical sensitivity in human conduct by teaching how inner emotions manifest outwardly—supporting self-restraint and right understanding in relationships rather than prescribing a ritual act.