Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 21
Chapter 366 — सामान्यनामलिङ्गानि
Common Noun-Forms and Their Grammatical Genders
उच्चावचं नैकभेदं सम्बाधकलिलं तथा तिमितं स्तिमितं क्लिन्नमभियोगत्वभिग्रहः
uccāvacaṃ naikabhedaṃ sambādhakalilaṃ tathā timitaṃ stimitaṃ klinnamabhiyogatvabhigrahaḥ
“Tinggi dan rendah”, “beraneka jenis”, “sesak dan bercampur-kacau”; demikian juga “gelap”, “diam/tenang”, dan “basah/terendam”—ini ialah istilah yang diambil sebagai penanda teknikal (abhigraha) dalam penggunaan terapan (abhiyoga).
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) speaking to sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Provides a technical vocabulary set used in applied literary/critical description—useful for commentators, poets, and editors to classify texture, density, tone, and sensory qualities in passages.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Technical descriptors (abhigraha) in applied usage (abhiyoga)","lookup_keywords":["ucchavaca","sambadha-kalila","timita","stimita","klinna"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists terms like ‘high/low’, ‘many-typed’, ‘crowded/confused’, ‘dark’, ‘still’, and ‘wet/soaked’ as accepted technical descriptors in applied critical usage. It legitimizes a shared metalanguage for analyzing style and effect."}
Alamkara Type: Shabda/artha-visheshana (technical stylistic qualifiers)
Concept: Systematization of language: shared categories enable consistent interpretation and critique; meaning is sharpened by agreed technical descriptors.
Application: In commentary or teaching, tag passages as ucchāvaca (mixed register), sambādha-kalila (dense/obscure), stimita (still/controlled), etc., to guide revision and performance.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya/Alankara and technical vocabulary)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scribe-commentator annotating a manuscript with marginal labels: ‘high/low’, ‘dense’, ‘dark’, ‘still’, ‘wet’; nearby, small vignette panels illustrate each quality—crowded scene for sambādha-kalila, calm lake for stimita, rain-soaked cloth for klinna.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural with split panels: crowded forest scene (sambādha-kalila), dark cloud mass (timita), still lotus pond (stimita), drenched garment (klinna), and a manuscript with stylized Sanskrit labels, bold outlines and earthy pigments","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with ornamental framed compartments for each descriptor, gold-leaf borders, central scholar holding palm-leaf, symbolic mini-scenes rendered with rich color and embossed highlights","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, diagrammatic teaching board beside a seated pandit, each term illustrated with a small clean vignette, fine linework and gentle shading, emphasis on clarity of categories","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, atelier scene with a critic and scribe, marginalia in neat script, small inset paintings showing dense crowd, dark night, still water, wet fabric, meticulous detail and balanced composition"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नैकभेदं = न + एकभेदम् (नञ्-समास); अभियोगत्वभिग्रहः = अभियोगत्व + अभिग्रहः (समास/सन्धि).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sahitya-shastra vocabulary lists and lakshana passages; Agni Purana sections defining poetic qualities/doshas (contextual linkage)
FAQs
It teaches a set of standardized descriptive terms—used as accepted technical descriptors in applied discourse—useful for precise characterization in Sanskrit literary/lexical analysis.
Beyond rituals and theology, the Agni Purana preserves systematic lists of technical vocabulary for poetics and description, showing its coverage of linguistic and literary sciences alongside other disciplines.
By promoting disciplined, accurate speech and textual understanding (śāstra-vyavahāra), it supports right knowledge (samyag-jñāna) and reduces error in learning and teaching sacred and classical literature.