Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 8
Somavaṃśa-saṃkṣepaḥ
Conclusion of the Lunar Dynasty Description
यज्ञैर् दानैस्तपोभिश् च विक्रमेण श्रुतेन च कर्तवीर्यस्य च शतं पुत्राणां पञ्च वै पराः
yajñair dānaistapobhiś ca vikrameṇa śrutena ca kartavīryasya ca śataṃ putrāṇāṃ pañca vai parāḥ
यज्ञ, दान व तप तसेच पराक्रम आणि श्रुती-विद्येच्या बळावर कर्तवीर्याला शंभर पुत्र झाले; त्यांपैकी पाच विशेष श्रेष्ठ मानले गेले।
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Royal-ethical model: legitimizing kingship through yajña, dāna, tapas, śaurya, and śruta; used in genealogical recitation (vaṁśa) to frame political authority as dharma-grounded.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Kartavīrya’s merit and hundred sons (pañca-śreṣṭhāḥ)","lookup_keywords":["Kartavīrya","yajña-dāna-tapas","śaurya","śruta","hundred sons"],"quick_summary":"Dynastic greatness is attributed to a composite of ritual merit, generosity, austerity, valor, and learning; among many heirs, a few become principal bearers of the line."}
Alamkara Type: Samuccaya (cumulative listing)
Concept: Integrated excellence (ritual + ethics + asceticism + courage + learning) as the basis of legitimate sovereignty and prosperity.
Application: As a ruler/householder: balance charity, discipline, study, and courageous action; as a court-bard/purohita: recite lineage with merit-causality.
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Charita (Genealogies and Royal Lineages)
Primary Rasa: Vira
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court scene where Kartavīrya is praised: priests performing yajña, attendants distributing gifts, ascetics in tapas, and the king shown as valorous and learned; behind him a symbolic array of many sons with five highlighted.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Kartavīrya in regal attire with halo, yajña-vedi with flames, brahmins chanting, dāna scene with gold and cows, ascetics with matted hair, five sons emphasized with brighter garments, flat bold colors, ornate borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Kartavīrya seated on jeweled throne, heavy gold foil work on crown and ornaments, yajña fire and ladles, dāna of cows/coins, five principal sons in symmetrical arrangement, rich reds and greens, embossed detailing","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, instructional tableau: panels showing yajña, dāna, tapas, and śruta (study with palm-leaf manuscripts), Kartavīrya central, soft shading and delicate ornamentation","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly realism: Kartavīrya with scholars and warriors, a yajña pavilion at side, scribes with manuscripts, distribution of gifts, many sons in tiers with five foregrounded, detailed textiles and architecture"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यज्ञैर्→यज्ञैः; दानैस्→दानैः; तपोभिश्→तपोभिः; कर्तवीर्यस्य च→कर्तवीर्यस्य + च (no change); शतं→शतम् (anusvāra as m before consonant); overall: instrumental plurals coordinated by च.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Vamśa/vaṁśānucarita sections on Haihayas and Yādavas (adjacent verses/chapters)
FAQs
It highlights the merit-producing triad—yajña (sacrifice), dāna (charity), and tapas (austerity)—and pairs it with kṣātra qualities (vikrama, valor) and śāstra/śruti-based learning (śruta) as the foundations of an ideal royal lineage.
By embedding ethical-religious ideals (yajña, dāna, tapas) into dynastic history, the text combines itihāsa-style genealogy with dharma instruction—one of the Agni Purana’s hallmark encyclopedic methods of teaching across genres.
It presents prosperity and renowned progeny as outcomes associated with sustained dharmic conduct—ritual merit, generosity, disciplined austerity, courageous action, and learnedness—implying these cultivate both worldly success and religious merit.