Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 23
Āgneya-Purāṇa-māhātmya
The Greatness and Self-Testimony of the Agni Purāṇa
शृण्वन्विप्रो वेदवित् स्यात् क्षत्रियः पृथिवीपतिः ऋद्धिं प्राप्नोति वैश्यश् च शूद्रश्चारोग्यमृच्छति
śṛṇvanvipro vedavit syāt kṣatriyaḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ ṛddhiṃ prāpnoti vaiśyaś ca śūdraścārogyamṛcchati
ໂດຍການຟັງຄໍາສອນນີ້ ພຣາຫມັນຈະເປັນຜູ້ຮູ້ເວດ, ກະສັດຕຣິຍະຈະເປັນເຈົ້າແຜ່ນດິນ, ໄວສະຍະຈະໄດ້ຮັບຄວາມຮັ່ງມີ, ແລະຊູດຣະຈະເຖິງຄວາມມີສຸຂະພາບ ປອດໂລກ.
Lord Agni (narrating the phalaśruti to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Using Purāṇa-śravaṇa as a socially integrative dharma-practice promising role-appropriate fruits: learning, sovereignty, prosperity, and health; motivating communal listening across varṇas.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Varṇa-anusāra śravaṇa-phala (veda-vit, pṛthivīpati, ṛddhi, ārogya)","lookup_keywords":["śravaṇa-phala","brāhmaṇa","kṣatriya","vaiśya","śūdra"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists differentiated benefits of listening: Vedic knowledge for brāhmaṇa, kingship for kṣatriya, prosperity for vaiśya, and health for śūdra—framing śravaṇa as universally beneficial."}
Concept: Śāstra-śravaṇa is presented as a universal upāya whose fruits align with one’s social function (svadharma) and worldly aims (puruṣārtha).
Application: Community readings can be framed as ‘sarva-varṇa upakāra’: learning sessions for students, ethical governance inspiration for leaders, prosperity ethics for merchants, and well-being orientation for workers.
Khanda Section: Shravana-phala (Merit of Hearing) / Dharma-phalashruti
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A public recitation assembly: brāhmaṇa scholars, a kṣatriya ruler, vaiśya merchants, and śūdra workers all listening; symbolic icons of their fruits—Veda, crown, wealth, and health—appear subtly.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple courtyard kathā setting with four social groups seated in rows, stylized symbols (palm-leaf Veda, royal parasol, grain/coins, healing lamp), flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central reciter with gold halo, four groups arranged symmetrically, ornate depiction of crown and prosperity motifs, gold embossing for auspicious fruits","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean narrative layout showing the audience diversity, subtle captions via objects (Veda bundle, throne, balance/coins, healthy figure), delicate colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly-public assembly with ruler present, scholars and townsfolk, detailed costumes, symbolic objects placed near each group, fine border work"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शृण्वन् + विप्रः → शृण्वन्विप्रः; वैश्यः + च → वैश्यश् च; शूद्रः + च + आरोग्यम् → शूद्रश्चारोग्यम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 382 (phala-śruti); Agni Purana sections on rājadharma/artha and ārogya topics (general encyclopedic scope)
FAQs
It teaches the śravaṇa-phala principle: attentive listening to the Purāṇic instruction itself is a sādhanā that yields specific results—Vedic insight for a brāhmaṇa, sovereign capacity for a kṣatriya, prosperity for a vaiśya, and health for a śūdra.
It shows the text’s compendious method of attaching practical, life-oriented outcomes (knowledge, governance, wealth, health) to religious practices like listening/recitation, linking dharma with domains such as education (Veda), polity (rājya), economy (ṛddhi), and wellbeing (ārogya).
The verse frames listening as a meritorious act (puṇya) that purifies and matures karma, producing both spiritual refinement (vedavit) and tangible welfare (prosperity and health), thus encouraging śravaṇa as a universal means accessible across varṇas.