Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 4
Somavaṁśa-varṇanam
Description of the Lunar Dynasty
द्युतिं विभावसुन्त्यक्त्वा पुष्टिर्धातारमव्ययम् प्रभा प्रभाकरन्त्यक्त्वा हविष्मन्तं कुहूः स्वयम्
dyutiṃ vibhāvasuntyaktvā puṣṭirdhātāramavyayam prabhā prabhākarantyaktvā haviṣmantaṃ kuhūḥ svayam
‘ദ്യുതി’ എന്ന നാമം വിട്ട് ‘വിഭാവസു’ (അഗ്നി) എന്ന നാമം സ്വീകരിച്ച്, പുഷ്ടി അവ്യയനായ ധാതൃദേവനുമായി (ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടു). അതുപോലെ ‘പ്രഭാ’ എന്ന നാമം വിട്ട് ‘പ്രഭാകര’ എന്ന നാമം സ്വീകരിച്ച്, കുഹൂ സ്വയം ഹവിഷ്മന്തനുമായി (ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടു).
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Name-identification (nāma-sāmyā/nyāsa-like mapping) used in pūjā and homa: substituting/recognizing deities or powers under alternate appellations for correct invocation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Devata-nāma-paryāya mapping: Dyuti→Vibhāvasu; Puṣṭi→Dhātṛ; Prabhā→Prabhākara; Kuhū→Haviṣmant","lookup_keywords":["devata-nama-mala","paryaya","Vibhavasu","Dhatr","Kuhu"],"quick_summary":"Gives equivalences of ritual names, guiding the practitioner to invoke the intended deity/power even when alternate epithets are used in mantra, homa, or nāma-mālā recitation."}
Concept: Nāma and devatā correspondence: correct knowledge of epithets ensures accurate ritual intention (saṅkalpa) and effective invocation.
Application: In pūjā/homa, use these mappings to avoid mis-invocation when encountering variant names in different recensions or regional nāma-mālās.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Devata-nama-mala (Deity-identifications and ritual appellations used in worship and homa)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual manual scene: a priest points to a palm-leaf list mapping divine names; behind, symbolic forms of Agni (Vibhāvasu), Dhātṛ, Prabhākara, and Haviṣmant appear as luminous presences, indicating synonym-identifications.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, seated ācārya with palm-leaf manuscript, four glowing deity-forms in stylized halos labeled by epithets, homa-kuṇḍa in foreground, traditional ornamental borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central homa fire with gold highlights, priest holding manuscript, four small deity medallions around with embossed gold halos: Vibhāvasu, Dhātṛ, Prabhākara, Haviṣmant","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean didactic layout like a chart: name on left, mapped epithet on right, with small icon vignettes of each deity, soft colors and precise linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar-priest in a library-like setting with manuscript, marginal mini-icons of fire and sun deities, fine calligraphy panels showing the name correspondences"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Sarang","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Resolved: vibhāvasuntyaktvā→vibhāvasum tyaktvā; puṣṭirdhātāramavyayam→puṣṭiḥ dhātāram avyayam; prabhā prabhākarantyaktvā→prabhā prabhākaram tyaktvā.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: pūjā-vidhi and homa-vidhi chapters (name lists and devatā identifications); Agni Purana: nāma-mālā/stotra sections where epithets vary
FAQs
It teaches ritual name-equivalences (nāma-vikalpa / devatā-paryāya): specific divine epithets are to be substituted/recognized in worship—e.g., ‘Dyuti’ is treated as ‘Vibhāvasu (Agni)’, and Kuhū is linked with ‘Haviṣmant’ (the oblation-connected deity/recipient).
It preserves a technical catalog of deity-epithets and their functional correspondences used in mantra, homa, and puja—showing the Agni Purana’s compendium-style coverage of ritual linguistics alongside theology.
Correctly identifying and invoking the intended deity through proper epithets is held to make offerings (havis) and worship precise, thereby enhancing ritual efficacy and the merit (puṇya) of the act.