Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 9
Description of the Royal Dynasties (राजवंशवर्णनम्) — Chapter Colophon and Transition
स चापि वितथः पुत्रान् जनयामास पञ्च वै शग्भुर्वीतमयाश्चाभूच्छम्भोर्बहुविध इति ख , ज , च सुहोत्रञ्च सुहोतारङ्गयङ्गर्भन्तथैव च
sa cāpi vitathaḥ putrān janayāmāsa pañca vai śagbhurvītamayāścābhūcchambhorbahuvidha iti kha , ja , ca suhotrañca suhotāraṅgayaṅgarbhantathaiva ca
ആ വിതഥനും അഞ്ചു പുത്രന്മാരെ ജനിപ്പിച്ചു—ശഗ്ഭുർവീതമയ; (ഖ, ജ, ച പാഠഭേദപ്രകാരം) ശംഭുവിന്റെ ബഹുവിധ; കൂടാതെ സുഹോത്ര, സുഹോതാര, ഗയ, ഗർഭ।
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogies to Vasiṣṭha, as per the Agni Purāṇa’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Provides a branching dynastic list with manuscript-variant awareness; used for compiling vaṁśāvalīs, reconciling recensions, and anchoring later kings/sages to a progenitor.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vitatha’s Sons (Variant Readings Included)","lookup_keywords":["Vitatha","Suhotra","Gaya","Garbha","manuscript variants"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates Vitatha’s offspring and notes variant readings across manuscripts (Kha/Ja/Ca), functioning as a compact genealogical register for textual and historical cross-checking."}
Concept: Smṛti-knowledge as structured enumeration; preservation of tradition includes acknowledging variant transmissions.
Application: Text-critical reading: keep parallel name-lists, annotate variants, and avoid forcing a single harmonization when recensions differ.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita (Genealogies and dynastic lists)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A schematic family-tree scene: Vitatha at the center with five sons arranged as labeled branches; a marginal note panel indicates variant manuscript readings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized genealogical mandala: Vitatha central, sons in radial arrangement with name cartouches, palm-leaf manuscript motif showing variant readings, earthy palette and ornamental borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embellished genealogical panel with Vitatha enthroned, sons in symmetrical rows, gold name plaques, decorative arch and floral motifs, emphasis on regal continuity","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic chart-like composition: Vitatha and five sons with clear labels, small side-note box for Kha/Ja/Ca variants, fine lines and soft colors for readability","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court scribe presenting a genealogy scroll to a patron; within the scroll, Vitatha and sons depicted in medallions, marginalia indicating variant names, detailed calligraphy aesthetic"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चापि = च + अपि; वीतमयाश्चाभूत् = वीतमयाः + च + अभूत्; अभूच्छम्भोः = अभूत् + शम्भोः; सुहोत्रञ्च = सुहोत्रम् + च; (IAST string has minor corruption: 'suhotāraṅgayaṅgarbha' resolved as सुहोतारम् + गयम् + अङ्गर्भम्)
Related Themes: Agni Purana vaṁśa lists with similar enumerative style; Agni Purana passages that present variant pāṭhas (where noted)
FAQs
This verse primarily imparts vamśa-jñāna (genealogical knowledge): a record of lineage succession through the naming of Vitatha’s sons, rather than a ritual or procedural vidyā.
By preserving dynastic and genealogical data—along with explicit manuscript-variant notes (kha/ja/ca)—the Agni Purāṇa functions as a reference compendium that catalogs historical-traditional lineages alongside other sciences (śāstras).
Remembering and transmitting righteous lineages is treated in Purāṇic culture as dharma-supporting smṛti (sacred remembrance), reinforcing continuity of tradition and the moral exemplars associated with ancestral lines.