Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 6
Chapter 153 — Brahmacarya-āśrama-dharma
The Dharma of the Student Stage
गुप्तदासात्मकं नाम प्रशस्तं वैश्यशूद्रयोः बालं निवेदयेद्भर्त्रे तव पुत्रो ऽयमित्युत
guptadāsātmakaṃ nāma praśastaṃ vaiśyaśūdrayoḥ bālaṃ nivedayedbhartre tava putro 'yamityuta
ສໍາລັບໄວສະຍະ ແລະ ຊູດຣະ ຊື່ທີ່ລົງທ້າຍ “-gupta” ຫຼື “-dāsa” ເປັນທີ່ສັນລະເສີນ. ຄວນນໍາເດັກໄປຖວາຍແດ່ຜົວ ແລ້ວກ່າວວ່າ “ນີ້ແມ່ນລູກຊາຍຂອງທ່ານ” ແທ້ໆ.
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Household protocol for acknowledging paternity and formally presenting the newborn, alongside varṇa-appropriate naming convention for vaiśya/śūdra.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Presenting the child to the husband; vaiśya/śūdra name endings (-gupta/-dāsa)","lookup_keywords":["gupta","dāsa","present child to husband","paternity acknowledgment","nāmakarma"],"quick_summary":"Commend -gupta/-dāsa endings for vaiśya/śūdra names and prescribe the social act of presenting the newborn to the husband with a formal declaration of sonship."}
Concept: Dharma is enacted through prescribed speech and social gestures that stabilize kinship and responsibility.
Application: Use the formal declaration during presentation to affirm guardianship and duty; integrate naming convention with household rite sequence.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Samskara-vidhi (Naming & social-custom guidance)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vatsalya
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A mother or elder woman hands the newborn to the father/husband in a domestic hall; an officiant witnesses; a speech scroll reads ‘tava putro’yam’; a name tag shows -gupta/-dāsa as examples.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, intimate domestic scene, stylized gestures of handing the child, speech-scroll motif with Sanskrit words, lamp and kalasha, warm ochres and reds.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-highlighted cradle cloth and jewelry, central act of presenting the child to the father, ornate arch backdrop, inscription panel with ‘tava putro’yam’.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, gentle expressions and clear hand-gesture focus, minimal background, readable caption cartouche for the utterance and suffix examples.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior with attendants, father receiving child, calligraphic cartouche for the spoken formula, refined textiles and architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Madhyamavati","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: nivedayedbhartre = nivedayet bhartre; putro 'yamityuta = putraḥ ayam iti uta.
Related Themes: Agni Purana nāmakaraṇa and household saṁskāra passages
FAQs
It gives a practical naming-rule: for Vaiśyas and Śūdras, names formed with the suffix-types “-gupta” or “-dāsa” are prescribed as appropriate, along with the formal presentation of the newborn to the father.
Beyond theology, it preserves applied Dharma material—household customs and social conventions (nama-karana style and family presentation formula)—showing the Purana’s coverage of everyday ritual-social life.
Following prescribed naming and household presentation rites is treated as alignment with dharma, supporting social order and the auspicious integration of the child into the family’s religious and moral framework.