Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 17
Somavaṃśa-saṃkṣepaḥ
Conclusion of the Lunar Dynasty Description
विषांशुश्चेति ज हविर्ज्यामघः पापघ्नो ज्यामघः स्त्रीजितो ऽभवत् सेव्यायां ज्यामघादासीद्विदर्भस्तस्य कौशिकः
viṣāṃśuśceti ja havirjyāmaghaḥ pāpaghno jyāmaghaḥ strījito 'bhavat sevyāyāṃ jyāmaghādāsīdvidarbhastasya kauśikaḥ
പിന്നീട് വിഷാംശു; തുടർന്ന് ജ, ഹവി, പാപഘ്നനായ ജ്യാമഘൻ. ആ ജ്യാമഘൻ ഭാര്യാവശനായ (സ്ത്രീജിതൻ) ആയി. ജ്യാമഘനിൽ നിന്ന് സേവ്യയിലൂടെ വിദർഭൻ ജനിച്ചു; അവന്റെ വംശത്തിൽ കൗശികൻ ഉണ്ടായി.
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogy in dialogue form)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Genealogical record plus moral-political note: illustrates how personal/domestic dynamics (being ‘won by the wife’) can affect royal agency; also anchors the origin of Vidarbha lineage.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Jyāmagha ‘pāpaghnā’ and ‘strījita’; birth of Vidarbha from Sevyā; Kauśika","lookup_keywords":["Jyāmagha","pāpaghnā","strījita","Vidarbha","Sevyā"],"quick_summary":"Lists successive kings and adds a character note: Jyāmagha, though called ‘destroyer of sin’, is described as dominated by his wife; from Sevyā he fathers Vidarbha, establishing a regional lineage."}
Alamkara Type: Virodha/contrast (pāpaghnā vs strījita as a character tension)
Concept: Personal self-mastery is implied as part of rāja-dharma; epithets can encode moral evaluation (sin-destroyer yet socially ‘overcome’).
Application: In leadership ethics: cultivate inner discipline and balanced household governance; public virtue can be undercut by private lack of agency.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita (Genealogies of Kings / Dynastic Catalogues)
Primary Rasa: hasya
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A court scene showing King Jyāmagha with the epithet ‘pāpaghnā’, yet visually guided or restrained by Queen Sevyā; beside them a cradle or young prince labeled Vidarbha, indicating the founding of a kingdom-line; Kauśika shown as successor/descendant.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural; stylized royal couple—king slightly deferential, queen poised and commanding; infant Vidarbha in a lotus-cradle; inscriptions of names; rich reds/greens with traditional facial stylization.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore; queen Sevyā prominent with gold jewelry; king Jyāmagha seated with royal regalia but softened posture; baby Vidarbha with gold halo; ornate arch and heavy gold work.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore; narrative clarity: labels for Viṣāṁśu, Ja, Havir, Jyāmagha; central panel focuses on ‘strījita’ motif with subtle gesture language; final panel shows Vidarbha as young prince with map-like hint of a kingdom.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature; intimate palace interior; queen advising/commanding, king listening; attendants; infant prince; marginal cartouche reading ‘Vidarbha’; fine textiles and architectural detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reflective","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: viṣāṃśuś ca iti → viṣāṃśuḥ ca iti; havirjyāmaghaḥ treated as havis-jyāmaghaḥ; strījito 'bhavat → strījitaḥ abhavat; jyāmaghādāsīt → jyāmaghāt āsīt; āsīdvidarbhaḥ → āsīt vidarbhaḥ. The token 'ja' in the source is uncertain; parsed as jaḥ (proper noun) based on context.
Related Themes: Agni Purana vamśa passages on regional eponyms and dynastic founders
FAQs
No ritual or technical vidyā is taught here; the verse functions as a genealogical record, naming successive kings and the ancestry of Vidarbha.
By cataloguing dynasties and eponymous founders (like Vidarbha), the Agni Purana preserves political memory, regional origins, and lineage mapping—an encyclopedic layer alongside its ritual, legal, and scientific sections.
The epithet “pāpaghna” (sin-destroyer) attached to Jyāmagha signals royal virtue and merit; reciting and remembering righteous lineages is treated in Purāṇic tradition as a meritorious act that supports dharma and sacred history.