Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 6
Chapter 230: शकुनानि (Śakunāni) — Omens
यस्यां स्थितः सा ज्वलिता मुक्ता चाङ्गारिणी मता एतास्तिस्रः स्मृता दीप्ताः पञ्च शान्तास् तथापराः
yasyāṃ sthitaḥ sā jvalitā muktā cāṅgāriṇī matā etāstisraḥ smṛtā dīptāḥ pañca śāntās tathāparāḥ
അത് ഏത് നിലയിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നുവോ അത് ‘ജ്വലിതാ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; വിട്ടുവീഴ്ചയായാൽ അത് ‘അംഗാരിണീ’ എന്നു കരുതപ്പെടുന്നു. ഈ മൂന്നു നിലകൾ ‘ദീപ്ത’ നിലകളായി സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു; അതുപോലെ മറ്റൊരു അഞ്ചു ‘ശാന്ത’ നിലകളും ഉണ്ട്।
Lord Agni (narrating to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional dialogue frame)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: cāṅgāriṇī → ca aṅgāriṇī; etāstisraḥ → etāḥ tisraḥ; śāntās tathāparāḥ → śāntāḥ tathā aparāḥ.
FAQs
It gives a technical taxonomy of fire-states used in ritual/technical discussions—distinguishing ‘blazing’ (jvalitā) and ‘embering/coal-bearing’ (aṅgāriṇī), and indicating a broader scheme of three ‘bright’ (dīpta) and five ‘calm’ (śānta) conditions.
By cataloguing precise operational states of Agni (fire) in a systematic way—like a handbook—this verse exemplifies the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic method of organizing practical knowledge relevant to ritual procedure, domestic fire-use, and technical classifications.
Correctly recognizing and employing the appropriate ‘state of fire’ supports proper ritual performance (yajña/ homa discipline), which is traditionally linked with purification and the accrual of religious merit through accurate observance.