Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 1
Chapter 230: शकुनानि (Śakunāni) — Omens
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे माङ्गल्याध्यायो नाम एकोनत्रिंशदधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः अथ त्रिंशदधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः शकुनानि पुष्कर उवाच तिष्ठतो गमने प्रश्ने पुरुषस्य शुभाशुभं निवेदयन्ति शकुना देशस्य नगरस्य च
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe māṅgalyādhyāyo nāma ekonatriṃśadadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ atha triṃśadadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ śakunāni puṣkara uvāca tiṣṭhato gamane praśne puruṣasya śubhāśubhaṃ nivedayanti śakunā deśasya nagarasya ca
ഇങ്ങനെ അഗ്നേയ മഹാപുരാണത്തിൽ ‘മാംഗല്യ’ എന്ന അധ്യായം 229-ാമത്തേതാണ്. ഇനി 230-ാം അധ്യായമായ ‘ശകുനങ്ങൾ’ ആരംഭിക്കുന്നു. പുഷ്കരൻ പറഞ്ഞു—നിൽക്കുമ്പോഴും യാത്രയ്ക്ക് പുറപ്പെടുമ്പോഴും ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യുമ്പോഴും ശകുനങ്ങൾ മനുഷ്യന് ശുഭാശുഭ ഫലം അറിയിക്കുന്നു; ദേശത്തിനും നഗരത്തിനും സംബന്ധിച്ചും (മംഗളം-അമംഗളം) സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.
Puṣkara
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Jyotisha","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Framework for omen-based decision support: interpreting śakuna for travel, inquiry, and public welfare (region/city), aiding personal choices and administrative planning.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Śakuna-prakaraṇa: scope of omens for individuals and polities (chapter opening)","lookup_keywords":["śakuna","nimitta","yātrā","praśna","deśa nagara"],"quick_summary":"Introduces the śakuna chapter: omens are said to indicate auspicious/inauspicious outcomes for a person’s actions (standing, departing, questioning) and for collective entities like regions and cities."}
Concept: Nimitta as a knowledge-system applied to action (pravṛtti): signs are interpreted relative to context—stillness, movement, and inquiry—and scaled from individual to civic outcomes.
Application: Before travel or major decisions, observe and record omens; for governance, maintain omen-reports for city/region to time announcements, journeys, and public rites.
Khanda Section: Jyotiṣa & Śakuna-śāstra (Omens and prognostication)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Puṣkara addressing an audience, opening a treatise on omens; three situational vignettes: a man standing still, a traveler setting out, and a questioner consulting; in the background, a map-like depiction of a city and surrounding region indicating collective prognostication.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: sage Puṣkara teaching from palm-leaf text; three framed vignettes (standing, departing, questioning); stylized city walls and countryside; bold outlines, sacred scholastic ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Puṣkara seated on a dais with gold-leaf halo-like ornamentation; attendants and students; gold-highlighted cityscape panel; rich ceremonial palette emphasizing ‘māṅgalya’ and authority.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style didactic: clear narrative panels labeled ‘tiṣṭhataḥ’, ‘gamane’, ‘praśne’; a schematic city/region backdrop; precise linework suited to instructional content.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: learned assembly with Puṣkara speaking; travelers and petitioners in separate corners; detailed city and landscape; naturalistic architecture and textiles, scholarly atmosphere."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ity āgneye = iti + āgneye (i + ā sandhi → yā); 'adhyāyo 'dhyāyaḥ = adhyāyaḥ + adhyāyaḥ (visarga before vowel shown as 'o); śubhāśubhaṃ = śubha + aśubham (ā from a+a sandhi).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 229 (Māṅgalya-adhyāya); Agni Purana 230 (Śakuna-adhyāya, opening)
FAQs
It introduces Śakuna-śāstra (omenology): interpreting signs to judge auspicious or inauspicious outcomes for a person’s actions (standing, travel) and for inquiries/decisions.
By opening a chapter on practical prognostication (omens) applied to personal decisions and civic/territorial welfare, it shows the text’s coverage beyond theology—into applied divinatory and decision-making sciences.
Reading auspiciousness before acting supports dhārmic timing and restraint—encouraging actions undertaken with discernment, avoidance of harmful outcomes, and alignment with beneficial results for oneself and the community.