Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 17
Chapter 19 — कश्यपवंशवर्णनम्
Description of Kaśyapa’s Lineage
दंष्ट्रिणः क्रोधवशजा धरोत्थाः पक्षिणो जले सुरभ्यां गोमहिष्यादि इरोत्पन्नास्तृणादयः
daṃṣṭriṇaḥ krodhavaśajā dharotthāḥ pakṣiṇo jale surabhyāṃ gomahiṣyādi irotpannāstṛṇādayaḥ
दंष्ट्रधारी प्राणी क्रोधापासून उत्पन्न होतात; धरणीतून उत्पन्न झालेले स्थलीय असतात; पक्षी जलात उत्पन्न होतात; सुरभीपासून गाय, म्हैस इत्यादी होतात; आणि ईरा (दूध) पासून तृणादी वनस्पती उत्पन्न होतात।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Classifying beings by origin (bhava/elemental source) for Purāṇic cosmology, ritual taxonomy, and narrative genealogy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Bhūta-sarga: Origins of animals and plants by causal source","lookup_keywords":["bhuta-sarga","damshtirinah","surabhi","ira","trna-udbhava"],"quick_summary":"The verse maps categories of life to causal origins—wrath, earth, water, Surabhī, and milk—serving as a compact cosmological taxonomy of species and vegetation."}
Concept: Causal origination (yoni/hetu) of living classes within sṛṣṭi-krama.
Application: Use as a mnemonic schema for explaining creation narratives and mapping beings to elemental/psychic causes (e.g., krodha → daṃṣṭrins).
Khanda Section: Sarga / Cosmology and Creation (Srishti-krama; Bhuta-sarga)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A creation tableau: fanged creatures emerging from a red aura of wrath; earth-born animals rising from soil; birds appearing over waters; Surabhī the divine cow giving rise to cows and buffaloes; grasses sprouting from streams of milk (īrā).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, flat yet vivid colors, cosmic creation panel: Surabhī at center with attendants, milk flowing into green grasses, water-lotus lake birthing birds, earth mound birthing beasts, red krodha-flame birthing fanged creatures; ornate borders, temple-mural composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on Surabhī and milk stream, symmetrical composition with cows and buffaloes, stylized water with birds, earth mound with animals, rich jewel tones, embossed ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, delicate linework and soft shading; instructional cosmology chart feel: labeled groups (daṃṣṭrins, pākṣiṇaḥ, go-mahiṣyāḥ, tṛṇāni) arranged around Surabhī and elemental motifs (earth/water/anger-flame).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, naturalistic animals and birds, detailed grasses, a central divine cow Surabhī with halo, milk turning into vegetation, layered landscape with water body and earth bank; fine brushwork and pastel palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Madhyamavati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: क्रोधवशजा = क्रोध-वश-जाः; धरोत्थाः = धर-उत्थाः; इरोत्पन्नाः = इरा-उत्पन्नाः; इरोत्पन्नास्तृणादयः = इरा-उत्पन्नाः तृण-आदयः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 19 (Sarga/Bhūta-sarga context)
FAQs
It imparts a cosmological classification: different groups of beings are described as arising from specific causal sources (wrath, earth, water, Surabhī, and īrā), useful for Purāṇic sṛṣṭi-krama (creation-order) understanding.
By cataloging origins and categories of living beings, it functions like a compendium entry in natural philosophy/cosmology—one of the Agni Purāṇa’s many subject areas alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts.
It frames creation as orderly and cause-based, encouraging a dharmic worldview where emotions like wrath are seen as generative forces with consequences, and where nature is understood as a structured manifestation of cosmic causality.