Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 7
Chapter 366 — सामान्यनामलिङ्गानि
Common Noun-Forms and Their Grammatical Genders
प्रगल्भो भीरुको भीरुर्वन्दारुरभिवादके भूष्णुर्भविष्णुर्भविता ज्ञाता विदुरबिन्दुकौ
pragalbho bhīruko bhīrurvandārurabhivādake bhūṣṇurbhaviṣṇurbhavitā jñātā vidurabindukau
Baginda berani dan teguh menguasai diri; bagi orang jahat, Baginda tampak sebagai yang takut dan juga yang ditakuti. Baginda penerima sembah sujud dan yang patut disapa dengan hormat. Baginda Tuhan yang menghiasi; yang menjadi, yang akan menjadi, dan punca kepada segala menjadi. Baginda Yang Mengetahui; yang bijaksana (Vidura); dan yang tanpa sebarang “titik” pembatas—suci, tidak ternoda.
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic teachings to the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the standard Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Stotra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Devotional recitation of divine epithets for bhakti, protection, and contemplation of the Lord’s omniscience and purity; also usable as a nāma-list for japa.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Devata-nāma: Epithets of the Lord (Boldness, Fear, Becoming, Knowledge, Spotlessness)","lookup_keywords":["pragalbha","bhaviṣṇu","bhavitā","jñātā","abinduka"],"quick_summary":"A compact nāma-cluster portraying the deity as fearless yet fear-inducing to evil, worthy of salutations, the source of becoming (past-present-future), omniscient, and stainless—supporting meditation and praise."}
Alamkara Type: Nāma-mālā (epithet-chain) with semantic paryāya and kāla-traya suggestion (bhava/bhaviṣyat)
Concept: Īśvara as kāla-traya-adhīśa (lord of becoming across time), sarvajña (knower), and nirmala (untainted), simultaneously refuge for devotees and terror for adharma.
Application: Meditate on the names during japa: contemplate fearlessness, purity, and the divine ground of all change to stabilize mind and ethics.
Khanda Section: Nama-stotra / Vishnu-sahasranama-style Epithets (Devata-nama-kathana)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The Lord as radiant, spotless, receiving salutations from devotees; simultaneously a protective presence and a fearsome aspect to the wicked; a tri-temporal motif (past-present-future) suggested by three surrounding time-wheels or panels.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural of Vishnu/Narayana with serene face and large stylized eyes, devotees offering vandana, subdued depiction of fleeing demons at the margins, glowing aura indicating 'abinduka' purity, temple-lamp ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore Vishnu with gold-foil halo and ornate arch, devotees in añjali, rich jewelry and embossed gold, symbolic three time-discs around the deity for bhava-bhaviṣyat-bhavitā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting with refined shading: Vishnu in calm stance, one side devotees saluting, other side subdued wicked figures showing fear; clear iconographic labels for the epithets.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature devotional court: a radiant divine figure in a pavilion, devotees prostrating, subtle allegorical panels for past-present-future, delicate calligraphy cartouches of the names."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भीरुर्वन्दारुरभिवादके → भीरुः वन्दारुः अभिवादके; भूष्णुर्भविष्णुर्भविता → भूष्णुः भविष्णुः भविता; विदुरबिन्दुकौ → विदुर-बिन्दुकौ (द्वन्द्व).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: nāma/stotra materials and Vishnu-related praise sections; adjacent lexicon verses show shift from kośa to nāma-kathana
FAQs
This verse functions as nama-vidyā (knowledge through sacred epithets): it teaches contemplative identification of the deity’s attributes—fearlessness/terror to evil, worthiness of reverence, cosmic becoming (past–future–causal), and stainless purity—used in stotra-recitation and dhyāna.
Agni Purana compiles diverse disciplines; here it preserves theological ‘attribute-taxonomy’ in a sahasranāma-like format, cataloguing metaphysical roles (omniscience, causality, manifestation across time) alongside devotional practice (vandana/abhivādana).
Reciting and contemplating these names is traditionally held to purify intention, cultivate fearlessness and discernment, and align the devotee with the deity’s stainless nature—supporting merit (puṇya) through bhakti and right remembrance.