Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 16
Tvaritā-pūjā (The Worship of Tvaritā) — Transition Verse and Context
ऊष्मणश् च द्वितीयन्तु अधस्ताद्विनियोजयेत् स्वरैकादशभिन्नन्तु ऊष्मणान्तं सविन्दुकम्
ūṣmaṇaś ca dvitīyantu adhastādviniyojayet svaraikādaśabhinnantu ūṣmaṇāntaṃ savindukam
ऊष्मणांचा दुसरा भाग खाली विनियोजित करावा; आणि जो अकरा स्वरांनी भिन्न/विशिष्ट आहे तो ऊष्मणांच्या शेवटी बिंदूसह (अनुस्वारासह) ठेवावा.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Teaches placement of ūṣmāṇa sub-series and appending anusvāra with vowel-differentiated forms—useful for accurate orthography, chanting, and phonetic tables.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Ūṣmāṇa placement and anusvāra appending with 11-svara differentiation","lookup_keywords":["ūṣmāṇa-dvitīya","ekādaśa-svara","anusvāra","sa-vinduka","varṇa-vinyāsa"],"quick_summary":"Place the second ūṣmāṇa set below; then append at the end of the ūṣmāṇa group the form differentiated by eleven vowels, together with the dot (anusvāra), ensuring complete phonetic listing."}
Concept: Phonetic inventories are completed by correct series placement and inclusion of anusvāra as a marked sound element
Application: In teaching charts and writing practice, ensure anusvāra (bindu) is appended where prescribed and that ūṣmāṇa sub-rows are placed consistently.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Chandas & Varna-vidhi / Phonetics and prosody-grammar)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A phonetic table where the ūṣmāṇa group is shown with a lower sub-row; at the end, an anusvāra (bindu) is added, highlighted as ‘sa-vinduka’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, bold diagram of ūṣmāṇa letters with a distinct bindu mark at the end, teacher indicating the final appended symbol, traditional palette and stylization","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-highlighted bindu/anusvāra at the end of the ūṣmāṇa row, ornate manuscript border, devotional reverence for śabda","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clean instructional chart emphasizing the final ‘sa-vinduka’ placement, arrows and labels, classroom setting","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, calligrapher adding a dot mark at the end of a letter series on a folio, fine detailing and scholarly ambience"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: dvitīyantu → dvitīyam tu; adhastādviniyojayet → adhastāt viniyojayet; svaraikādaśabhinnantu → svara-ekādaśa-bhinnam tu; ūṣmaṇāntaṃ → ūṣmaṇa-antam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 309.13-17 (varṇa-vinyāsa; uccāraṇa; bindu/anusvāra mention)
FAQs
It teaches a technical rule of varṇa-vinyāsa (alphabet/phoneme arrangement): how the ūṣman series is positioned (the ‘second’ placed below) and how the anusvāra (bindu) is appended at the end with reference to the standard set of eleven vowels.
Beyond theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves śāstric modules such as Śikṣā/grammar and letter-science—showing it functions as a compendium that includes linguistic-technical instruction alongside religious material.
Correct phonetic ordering and accurate use of anusvāra supports precise recitation and transmission of mantras and śāstra; such correctness is traditionally held to preserve efficacy (śabda-śuddhi) and avoid errors in sacred chanting.