Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 18
Chapter 365 — क्षत्रविट्शूद्रवर्गाः
The Classes of Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras
प्रासस्तु कुन्तो विज्ञेयः सर्वला तोमरो ऽस्त्रियां वैतालिका बोधकरा मागधा वन्दिनस्तुतौ
prāsastu kunto vijñeyaḥ sarvalā tomaro 'striyāṃ vaitālikā bodhakarā māgadhā vandinastutau
‘പ്രാസ’ എന്നത് ‘കുന്ത’ എന്നു ഗ്രഹിക്കണം. ‘സർവലാ’ ‘തോമര’ എന്നതിന്റെയും നാമമാണ്. സ്ത്രീലിംഗത്തിൽ ‘വൈതാലികാ’, ‘ബോധകരാ’, ‘മാഗധാ’—ഇവ വന്ദിനി/സ്തുതികാരി (ചാരണി)യെ സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; ‘വന്ദിൻ’യും ‘സ്തുതി’യും—പ്രശംസ (സ്തവം) എന്നതിനുള്ള നാമങ്ങൾ.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) instructing a sage (commonly Vasiṣṭha in framing tradition)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","practical_application":"Disambiguate terms that overlap between poetics (prāsa) and weapon names (kunta, tomara), and define vocabulary for bards/panegyrists and praise genres used in courts and rituals.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Prāsa as Kunta; Vaitālikā/Māgadhā as Panegyrist; Vandin/Stuti as Praise","lookup_keywords":["prāsa","kunta","tomara","vaitālikā","māgadhā"],"quick_summary":"Clarifies that certain words denote weapons (kunta, tomara) while others denote professional eulogists and the act/genre of praise, aiding correct reading across śāstra domains."}
Alamkara Type: Prāsa (as a śabdālaṅkāra term elsewhere; here noted as a homonymous lexical item)
Weapon Type: Kunta (spear/lance); Tomara (javelin/throwing spear).
Concept: Śabda-artha viveka (discrimination of word-meanings across contexts).
Application: Prevents misreading in mixed corpora where the same term may belong to poetics, weaponry, or social roles.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Lexicography & Poetics terminology)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court: a panegyrist (vaitālika/māgadha) recites stuti before a king; beside them, guards hold kunta and tomara weapons; a scholar annotates a lexicon showing prāsa/kunta equivalence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, court pavilion with bard singing praise, guards with spears (kunta) and javelins (tomara), palm-leaf manuscript with highlighted terms, stylized faces and bold contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, king on throne with gold halo-like arch, bard offering stuti, gold embellishment on spear tips and court ornaments, inscription cartouches for vaitālikā and māgadhā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, balanced instructional-court scene: left panel shows weapons labeled kunta/tomara; right panel shows bard labeled vaitālikā/māgadhā; fine detailing and soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate durbar with musician-poet praising, attendants holding lances and throwing spears, marginal glossary notes, intricate textiles and architectural arches."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रासस्तु → प्रासः + तु. तोमरो ऽस्त्रियां → तोमरः + अस्त्रियां (अः + अ → ’). वन्दिनस्तुतौ → वन्दिनः + स्तुतौ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sahitya-shastra sections on alaṅkāra and doṣa; Dhanurveda lists of spears/javelins (nearby verses)
FAQs
Kośa-style technical vocabulary is taught: specific weapon synonyms (prāsa = kunta; sarvalā = tomara) and literary/social terms for professional bards and praise (vaitālikā/māgadhā; vandin/stuti).
It functions like a compact glossary spanning multiple disciplines—Dhanurveda (weapon nomenclature) and Sahitya/royal-court culture (panegyrist and eulogy terms)—showing the text’s cataloging of practical and literary knowledge.
While primarily lexical, correct naming and usage supports precise recitation, instruction, and courtly/ritual communication—seen in Purāṇic tradition as aiding dharma through accurate speech (śabda-śuddhi) and right understanding.