Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 2
Adhyāya 361 — अव्ययवर्गः
Avyaya-vargaḥ) — The Section on Indeclinables (Colophon/Closure
आनकः पटहो भेरी कलङ्को ऽङ्कापवादयोः मारुते वेधसि व्रध्ने पुंसि कः कं शिरो ऽम्बुनोः
ānakaḥ paṭaho bherī kalaṅko 'ṅkāpavādayoḥ mārute vedhasi vradhne puṃsi kaḥ kaṃ śiro 'mbunoḥ
‘ആനക’ എന്നത് നഗാര (പടഹ-വിശേഷം); ‘പടഹ’യും ‘ഭേരി’യും മൃദംഗ/മുരശ് വർഗ്ഗത്തിലുള്ള വാദ്യങ്ങൾ. ‘കലങ്ക’ എന്ന പദം കറ/ദോഷം എന്നും അപവാദം/നിന്ദ എന്നും. ‘ക’ എന്നത് വായു, വേധസ് (സ്രഷ്ടാവ്), വൃധ്ന, കൂടാതെ പുരുഷൻ എന്നും; ‘കം’ എന്നത് ശിരസ് (തല) എന്നും ജലം എന്നും പ്രയോഗിക്കുന്നു.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to Sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Natya","practical_application":"Understanding synonymy and polysemy for accurate diction in poetry, drama, and commentary; selecting culturally correct terms for instruments and abstract notions.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Nānārtha/Synonym entries: ānaka, paṭaha, bherī; kalaṅka; ka/kam","lookup_keywords":["ānaka","paṭaha","bherī","kalaṅka","ka kam"],"quick_summary":"Gives lexicon-style meanings: ānaka/paṭaha/bherī as drums; kalaṅka as stain or slander; ka as names for Vāyu/Brahmā/Vṛdhna/man; kam as head or water—requiring context to choose correctly."}
Alamkara Type: Shlesha
Concept: Śabda-bheda and artha-bheda: one phonetic form can map to distinct referents (deity, element, object, abstraction).
Application: Aids performers and poets in choosing terms that fit scene, rasa, and audience understanding; supports precise glossing in manuscripts.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Lexicography / Nighaṇṭu-style Synonyms)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: hasya
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A lexicon tableau: three drums (ānaka, paṭaha, bherī) displayed; a cloth with a stain and a figure whispering slander (kalaṅka); symbols for Vāyu and Brahmā labeled ‘ka’; a head and a water-pot labeled ‘kam’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized percussion instruments in a row, symbolic stain motif and gossiping figures, Vāyu as wind-swirls and Brahmā seated on lotus, head and water vessel icons, labeled in Devanagari.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-highlighted drums and ritual procession feel, central inscription panel for kalaṅka/ka/kam, rich ornamentation and clear icon-symbols.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic labeled objects with fine outlines: drums, stain vs slander vignette, deity/element symbols for ka, head and water for kam, classroom setting.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of musicians with drums, a court scene of accusation (slander), allegorical wind and creator figure, still-life of head-helmet and water ewer, meticulous detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"scholarly","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कलङ्को 'ङ्कापवादयोः → कलङ्कः अङ्क-अपवादयोः (विसर्ग/अवग्रह); शिरो 'म्बुनोः → शिरः अम्बुनोः (विसर्ग/अवग्रह).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 362 (Nānārtha-varga continuation)
FAQs
This verse imparts lexical-technical knowledge (śabda-vidyā): it lists established meanings of polysemous Sanskrit words (e.g., ka, kam, kalaṅka) and identifies drum-terms (ānaka, paṭaha, bherī) used in ritual, royal, and martial contexts.
By preserving nighaṇṭu-style semantic lists, the Agni Purana functions as a compact reference work: alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and warfare, it also codifies linguistic usage needed for interpreting scriptures, composing kāvya, and understanding technical terminology.
Accurate word-knowledge supports correct recitation, comprehension, and teaching of dharma-texts; in the Purāṇic frame, right understanding (samyag-jñāna) reduces interpretive error in mantra, śāstra-study, and religious instruction.