Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 30
Sūryavaṃśa-kīrtana
Proclamation of the Solar Dynasty
भगीरथो दिलीपात्तु येन गङ्गावतारिता मुनिनेति ज भगीरथात्तु नाभागो नाभागादम्बरीषकः
bhagīratho dilīpāttu yena gaṅgāvatāritā munineti ja bhagīrathāttu nābhāgo nābhāgādambarīṣakaḥ
ពីព្រះបាទ ទិលីបា បានកើតព្រះបាទ ភគីរថៈ ដែលបាននាំឲ្យទន្លេ គង្គា ចុះមកលើលោក ដូចដែលព្រះមុនីទាំងឡាយបានប្រាប់។ ពីភគីរថៈ កើត នាភាគៈ ហើយពីនាភាគៈ កើត អម្បរីសៈ។
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogy in discourse to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Genealogical memory (vamsha-smriti) used to anchor dharma-katha, tirtha-mahatmya, and royal legitimacy; Bhagīratha becomes an exemplar for public-good austerity (loka-hita tapas).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Suryavaṃśa Link: Dilīpa → Bhagīratha → Nābhāga → Ambarīṣa (Gaṅgāvatāra note)","lookup_keywords":["Bhagīratha","Gaṅgāvatāra","Nābhāga","Ambarīṣa","Suryavaṃśa"],"quick_summary":"Records a key Sūryavaṃśa succession and tags Bhagīratha as the agent of Gaṅgā’s descent—an archetype of tapas employed for collective welfare."}
Concept: Tapas directed to loka-kalyāṇa (public good) becomes dharmic kingship’s hallmark; lineage is preserved as a carrier of dharma.
Application: Use Bhagīratha as a model for leadership: undertake disciplined effort for communal benefit; preserve family/teacher lineages for continuity of values.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita (Genealogies of royal lineages / Ikshvaku–Suryavamsha narratives)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal genealogy scroll-like scene: Dilīpa begetting Bhagīratha; Bhagīratha performing severe tapas; Gaṅgā descending from the heavens, guided to earth; sages witnessing and narrating; then the succession to Nābhāga and Ambarīṣa.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Bhagīratha in ascetic posture on riverbank, matted hair, sages in white, celestial Gaṅgā descending in stylized blue stream, warm ochres and greens, flat iconic composition, ornate borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Bhagīratha with gold halo, Gaṅgā as a jeweled goddess descending, heavy gold leaf highlights on ornaments and river motifs, royal lineage figures in side panels with inscriptions","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, narrative register format: top register celestial Gaṅgā, middle register Bhagīratha tapas, bottom register kings in succession (Dilīpa, Nābhāga, Ambarīṣa), delicate linework and soft shading","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed landscape with riverbank and courtly figures, Bhagīratha as ascetic near a small fire, sages writing/reciting, a thin luminous cascade representing Gaṅgā from sky, fine textiles and naturalistic trees"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दिलीपात्तु = दिलीपात् + तु; भगीरथात्तु = भगीरथात् + तु; नाभागादम्बरीषकः = नाभागात् + अम्बरीषकः. ‘अवतारिता’ is treated as orthographic variant of ‘अवतारिताऽ’/‘अवतारिता’ (PPP) in some recensions.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 272 (Vamsha-anucharita context); Agni Purana sections on tirtha/vrata where Gaṅgā is praised (general)
FAQs
This verse primarily transmits Purāṇic genealogical knowledge (vamśāvalī-vidyā): the succession of rulers and the remembered cause for Gaṅgā’s descent associated with Bhagīratha.
By preserving lineage data and key cultural-memory events (like Gaṅgā-avatāraṇa), it functions as a historical-index layer within the Agni Purāṇa’s wide coverage—alongside ritual, polity, and other sciences.
It highlights Bhagīratha’s exemplary merit in enabling Gaṅgā’s descent—an act traditionally associated with purification, ancestral uplift, and dharmic kingship.