Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 22
Chapter 231 — शकुनानि (Śakunāni) | Omens in Governance, Travel, and War
शिवाय स्वामिनो रात्रौ बलीवर्दो नदन् भवेत् उत्सृष्टवृषभो राज्ञो विजयं सम्प्रयच्छति
śivāya svāmino rātrau balīvardo nadan bhavet utsṛṣṭavṛṣabho rājño vijayaṃ samprayacchati
ರಾತ್ರಿ ಎತ್ತು ಗರ್ಜಿಸಿದರೆ ಅದು ಸ್ವಾಮಿಗೆ ಶುಭಕರ. ಬಿಡಲ್ಪಟ್ಟ ವೃಷಭನು ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ವಿಜಯವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಾನೆ.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purāṇa’s standard narration frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Sandhi Resolution Notes: उत्सृष्ट + वृषभः → उत्सृष्टवृषभः (समास); अन्य सन्धि स्पष्ट नहीं।
FAQs
It conveys śakunā-vidyā (omenology): specific animal behaviors—an ox bellowing at night and a bull being released—are read as auspicious indicators for an owner and as victory-portents for a king.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical royal knowledge—prognostics used in statecraft and decision-making—showing how governance (rājadharma) incorporated culturally standardized omen-reading.
The verse frames prosperity and victory as aligned with auspicious signs (śiva), encouraging rulers and householders to act in harmony with dharmic timing and favorable portents understood as reflections of cosmic order.