Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 20
Mantra-paribhāṣā (मन्त्रपरिभाषा) — Colophon/Closure
नक्तन्त्वेकाङ्घ्रिकूर्माभा दंशाश् च यमचोदिताः दीहीपिपीलिकास्पर्शी कण्ठशोथरुजान्वितः
naktantvekāṅghrikūrmābhā daṃśāś ca yamacoditāḥ dīhīpipīlikāsparśī kaṇṭhaśotharujānvitaḥ
അതിനുശേഷം യമന്റെ ആജ്ഞപ്രകാരം രാത്രിചരങ്ങളായ, ആമയെപ്പോലെയും ഒരുകാലുള്ളതുമായ ദംശജീവികൾ അവനെ ആക്രമിക്കുന്നു. കുത്തുന്ന കീടങ്ങളുടെയും ഉറുമ്പുകളുടെയും സ്പർശം അവനെ പീഡിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; കൂടാതെ കണ്ഠശോഥവും വേദനയും അനുഭവപ്പെടുന്നു।
Lord Agni (narrating the Agni Purana’s teachings, traditionally to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Moral-psychological deterrence through vivid naraka imagery; quasi-medical symptom description (throat swelling, pain, insect stings) can also inform recognition of envenomation/allergic swelling as dangerous.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Naraka torment: biting creatures and throat-swelling pain (kaṇṭha-śotha)","lookup_keywords":["Yama","naraka","daṃśa","pīpīlikā","kaṇṭha-śotha"],"quick_summary":"The verse depicts karmic punishment: Yama’s agents as biting creatures and stinging insects cause intense pain and throat swelling. It functions as ethical warning while employing bodily-affliction imagery akin to toxicology symptomatology."}
Dosha: Kapha
Alamkara Type: Bhayanaka-vyakti (imagistic intensification)
Concept: Karmaphala: harmful actions ripen into embodied suffering; Yama’s order symbolizes inexorable moral causality.
Application: Ethical restraint (ahiṃsā, satya, śauca) and expiation (prāyaścitta) are encouraged by contemplating consequences.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda / Naraka-varnana (Descriptions of hellish torments as karmic consequences, with bodily afflictions described in quasi-medical terms)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: Cosmology
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A hell-scene: Yama commands grotesque night-roaming, tortoise-like one-footed biting beings; swarms of stinging insects and ants attack a suffering figure whose throat is visibly swollen, conveying pain and dread.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style naraka tableau: Yama with pāśa and daṇḍa, dark red-black palette, grotesque one-footed tortoise-like biters, swarming ants and insects, victim with swollen throat, dramatic yet stylized temple-mural composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Yama with gold ornamentation contrasted against dark background, surrounding torment creatures in circular arrangement, expressive victim with kaṇṭha-śotha, ornate border emphasizing moral allegory.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, narrative panel with clear character separation: Yama commanding, labeled creatures, victim showing throat swelling, fine linework and controlled color to keep didactic readability.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, infernal court scene: Yama enthroned, attendants releasing biting creatures, meticulous depiction of insects/ants, victim clutching throat, architectural framing like a dark pavilion."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Sandhi resolved: naktantv- → naktam + tu; daṃśāśca → daṃśāḥ + ca; rujānvitaḥ → rujā-anvitaḥ. Compounds segmented: eka-aṅghri-kūrma-ābhāḥ; yama-coditāḥ; dīhī-pipīlikā-sparśī; kaṇṭha-śotha-rujā-anvitaḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: naraka-varṇana sections; Agni Purana: viṣa/daṃśa symptom descriptions (contextual overlap)
FAQs
It conveys karma-phala doctrine through Naraka-varnana: specific sensory torments (bites, stings, throat inflammation and pain) are described as consequences administered under Yama’s authority.
Alongside theology and ethics, it preserves detailed catalogs of afterlife punishments and uses precise bodily-symptom terms (śotha, rujā), intersecting moral instruction with quasi-medical descriptive vocabulary.
It reinforces moral causality: harmful actions lead to proportionate suffering after death, encouraging restraint, repentance, and dharmic conduct to avoid such outcomes.