Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 14
Tvaritā-pūjā (The Worship of Tvaritā) — Transition Verse and Context
षोडशस्वरसंयुक्तमूष्माणस्य द्वितीयकम् जिह्वादन्तसमायोगे प्रथमं योजयेदधः
ṣoḍaśasvarasaṃyuktamūṣmāṇasya dvitīyakam jihvādantasamāyoge prathamaṃ yojayedadhaḥ
ອັກສອນທີສອງໃນກຸ່ມອຸສະມານ (ūṣmāṇa) ເມື່ອປະສົມກັບສະຫຼະ 16 ຕົວ ໃຫ້ນຳໃຊ້ໂດຍການສຳຜັດລະຫວ່າງລີ້ນກັບແຂ້ວ; ສ່ວນອັກສອນທຳອິດໃຫ້ວາງໄວ້ຂ້າງລຸ່ມ.
Lord Agni (in dialogue tradition, instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Guides correct articulation (sthāna/karana) for ūṣmāṇa letters with vowel combinations, useful for chanting, diction training, and phonetics pedagogy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Ūṣmāṇa articulation: jihvā–danta-samāyoga with 16-svara-saṃyoga","lookup_keywords":["ṣoḍaśa-svara","ūṣmāṇa","jihvā-danta","uccāraṇa","varṇa-vidhi"],"quick_summary":"When the specified ūṣmāṇa letter is combined with the sixteen vowels, its pronunciation is taught with tongue–teeth contact; the earlier item is placed below in the arrangement."}
Concept: Articulation depends on contact points (jihvā–danta) and systematic vowel-combination practice
Application: Use as a drill: pronounce the ūṣmāṇa across all vowel mātrās while maintaining tongue–teeth contact.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Shiksha/Varna-vidhi: phonetics and articulation of Sanskrit sounds)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close instructional depiction of mouth-position teaching: tongue touching teeth while reciting an ūṣmāṇa letter through sixteen vowel combinations; a chart shows vowel-mātrā permutations.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized guru demonstrating pronunciation, students attentive, diagrammatic mouth-position icon beside a varṇa chart, warm palette, bold outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embellished manuscript page with vowel combinations, guru seated on a pedestal, emphasis on sacred sound science, ornate borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, technical illustration: mouth cross-section showing tongue–teeth contact, alongside a table of 16 vowel combinations for the ūṣmāṇa letter, clean lines and labels","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate study circle, teacher indicating a phonetic chart, refined facial expressions, detailed paper folios with vowel series"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ṣoḍaśasvarasaṃyuktamūṣmāṇasya → ṣoḍaśa-svara-saṃyuktam ūṣmāṇasya; jihvādantasamāyoge → jihvā-danta-samāyoge; yojayedadhaḥ → yojayet adhaḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 309.13-17 (varṇa-vinyāsa and uccāraṇa rules)
FAQs
It teaches a Śikṣā (phonetics) rule: how an ūṣman letter (the second among ś/ṣ/s/h) is articulated/arranged with the sixteen vowels using tongue–teeth contact, and how the first is positioned in the phonetic scheme.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves technical linguistic knowledge—classification and articulation of Sanskrit sounds—showing its coverage of grammar/phonetics alongside other sciences.
Correct phonetic articulation supports accurate mantra recitation; in the traditional view, proper sound-form preserves mantra efficacy and reduces errors that could diminish ritual merit.