Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 47
Chapter 12 — श्रीहरिवंशवर्णनं (Śrī-Harivaṃśa-varṇana) | The Description of the Sacred Harivaṃśa
वाणध्वजस्य सम्पातै रक्षिभिः स निवेदितः अनिरुद्धस्य वाणेन युद्धमासीत्सदारुणम्
vāṇadhvajasya sampātai rakṣibhiḥ sa niveditaḥ aniruddhasya vāṇena yuddhamāsītsadāruṇam
ကာကွယ်စောင့်ရှောက်သူများ အလျင်အမြန် ဝင်ရောက်လာသဖြင့်၊ သူ (အနိရုဒ္ဓ) ကို ဗာဏဓွဇထံ သတင်းပို့ကြ၏။ ထို့နောက် အနိရုဒ္ဓ၏ ရန်သူ ဗာဏနှင့် အလွန်ကြမ်းတမ်းသော စစ်ပွဲ ဖြစ်ပွားလေ၏။
Lord Agni (narrating the Purana to Vasiṣṭha, in the standard Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","secondary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","practical_application":"Illustrates the trigger of palace-security response and escalation into archery combat; useful for understanding narrative warfare cues and guard protocol.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Alarm raised and the dreadful archery battle begins","lookup_keywords":["guards report","Bāṇa","Aniruddha","battle","archery"],"quick_summary":"When guards rush in and report to Bāṇa’s bannered lord, a fierce battle erupts, framed as a classic śara-pratiśara (arrow-counterarrow) encounter."}
Alamkara Type: Raudra-varṇana (battle description)
Weapon Type: Bow and arrows
Concept: Consequences of secrecy and transgression in royal spaces; conflict arises from breached boundaries and honor codes.
Application: Emphasizes vigilance, reporting chains, and the inevitability of confrontation when social order is disrupted.
Khanda Section: Itihasa–Purana Narrative (Krishna–Aniruddha–Banasura episode; Yuddha-varnana)
Primary Rasa: Raudra
Secondary Rasa: Vīra
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Guards burst into the chamber/courtyard, reporting to Bāṇa’s bannered lord; Aniruddha stands poised with bow as arrows begin to fly.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dynamic diagonal composition: guards rushing with spears, Aniruddha with bow drawn, stylized flames of urgency, bold reds and blacks, palace courtyard setting","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, heroic Aniruddha with ornate bow, gold highlights on armor and banners, clustered guards, dramatic yet iconic staging, rich background","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear instructional battle tableau: archers in profile, arrows mid-flight, guards reporting to a seated/standing Bāṇa-lord, detailed weapon rendering","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, crowded palace courtyard skirmish, precise arrows and quivers, attendants and guards, banners fluttering, fine architectural detail and perspective"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"intense","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सम्पातै → सम्पातैः (विसर्गलोप/लिप्यन्तर); युद्धमासीत्सदारुणम् → युद्धम् + आसीत् + सदा + दारुणम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 12.48 (Kṛṣṇa hears from Nārada and intervenes); Agni Purana 12.49 (Hari–Śaṅkara battle context)
FAQs
This verse is primarily narrative (yuddha-varnana): it conveys battlefield reporting (guards informing the king/commander) and introduces fierce combat terminology (yuddha, dāruṇa), rather than a ritual or medical instruction.
Alongside ritual, polity, and śāstra sections, the Agni Purana preserves Itihasa–Purana narratives; such verses document social-military motifs (sentries, reporting, outbreak of combat) that complement its wider coverage of governance and martial culture.
As a Purāṇic battle episode centered on divine-associated figures, it frames dharma through the consequences of conflict and protection of order; hearing such narratives is traditionally held to cultivate devotion and moral discernment regarding righteous conduct in adversity.