Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 32
Mantra-śakti, Dūta-Carā (Envoys & Spies), Vyasana (Calamities), and the Sapta-Upāya of Nīti
कलत्रगर्भन्निक्षिप्तमन्तःशल्पं तथैव च विच्छिन्नवीवधासारं शून्यमूलं तथैव च
kalatragarbhannikṣiptamantaḥśalpaṃ tathaiva ca vicchinnavīvadhāsāraṃ śūnyamūlaṃ tathaiva ca
പ്രധാന ഗുഹയ്ക്കുള്ളിൽ കുടുങ്ങിക്കിടക്കുന്ന ശല്യം (അമ്പിന്റെ മുന/മുള) പോലെ, അടിസ്ഥാനധാരക തന്തുക്കൾ വിച്ഛിന്നമായ വ്രണം, കൂടാതെ മൂലാധാരം നശിച്ച വ്രണം—ഇവയെല്ലാം ചികിത്സയ്ക്ക് അയോഗ്യം, അസാധ്യം എന്നു കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു।
Lord Agni (teaching to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Shalya-chikitsa prognosis: triage and deciding when a wound/foreign-body case is incurable to avoid futile procedures and counsel caregivers.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Asadhya-lakshana in Shalya: Antaḥ-śalya and Chinna-ādhāra-vrana","lookup_keywords":["asadhya","antaḥśalya","vital cavity","chinna","śūnyamūla"],"quick_summary":"Foreign body lodged in an internal vital cavity, wounds with severed essential supports, and wounds whose base/root support is destroyed are declared devoid of curability; treat as prognostically hopeless and manage palliatively."}
Weapon Type: Arrowhead/splinter (śalya)
Concept: Yukti in chikitsa: knowing limits of curability (sadhya/asadhya) is part of right medical conduct.
Application: Ethical triage, avoiding harmful over-treatment, and maintaining credibility through accurate prognosis.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda (Shalya/Chikitsa: prognostic signs and incurable conditions)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ancient surgeon-physician examines a grievous penetrating wound; an arrowhead is lodged deep within, and the wound’s supporting tissues appear severed, indicating incurability.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and ochres, a vaidya in traditional attire examining a wounded warrior with a deep embedded arrowhead, attendants holding lamps, calm clinical expression, minimal background, flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style with gold leaf accents, central seated vaidya with palm-leaf manuscript, wounded warrior reclining, stylized surgical instruments and arrowhead highlighted with gold, rich textiles, symmetrical framing","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework and soft shading, instructional medical scene: physician pointing to the embedded śalya and severed base of wound, labeled instruments, subdued palette, didactic clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed court-physician scene in a tented battlefield infirmary, precise depiction of arrowhead lodged within, attendants and trays of instruments, naturalistic faces, intricate textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कलत्रगर्भन्निक्षिप्तम् → कलत्रगर्भे + निक्षिप्तम् (ए + न → एन); निक्षिप्तमन्तःशल्पम् → निक्षिप्तम् + अन्तःशल्पम् (म् + अ → म् अ); विच्छिन्नवीवधासारं → विच्छिन्नवीवधासारम् (anusvāra for final m); शून्यमूलं → शून्यमूलम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 240 (Ayurveda: shalya/chikitsa sections on vrana and asadhya-lakshana)
FAQs
Ayurvedic surgical prognostics: it lists wound/trauma presentations—retained internal foreign body, severed vital support tissues, or a rootless/base-destroyed lesion—as indicators of non-curability (asādhya).
It shows the Purana preserving practical medical science (Ayurveda/Śalya-tantra) alongside theology—giving clinically oriented criteria for prognosis in trauma and wound management.
By distinguishing curable from incurable conditions, the text supports dharmic medical conduct—avoiding futile or harmful interventions and directing care, resources, and rites appropriately when recovery is not feasible.