Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 8
Chapter 12 — श्रीहरिवंशवर्णनं (Śrī-Harivaṃśa-varṇana) | The Description of the Sacred Harivaṃśa
यशोदाबालिकां गृह्य देवकीशयने ऽनयत् कंसो बालध्वनिं श्रुत्वा ताञ्चिक्षेप शिलातले
yaśodābālikāṃ gṛhya devakīśayane 'nayat kaṃso bāladhvaniṃ śrutvā tāñcikṣepa śilātale
ଯଶୋଦାଙ୍କ ବାଳିକାକୁ ନେଇ ସେ ଦେବକୀଙ୍କ ଶୟନସ୍ଥାନକୁ ଆଣିଲା। କଂସ ଶିଶୁଧ୍ୱନି ଶୁଣି ତାକୁ ଧରି ଶିଳାତଳରେ ପକାଇଦେଲା।
Lord Agni (narrating Puranic history to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Teaching the motif of yoga-māyā and the failure of adharma: the tyrant’s violence rebounds into revelation; used in kathā and moral instruction about cruelty and fate.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Kaṃsa Hurls the Infant Girl (Yoga-māyā) onto the Stone","lookup_keywords":["Yaśodā-kanyā","Devakī-śayana","Kaṃsa","śilātala","bāla-dhvani"],"quick_summary":"The infant girl is exchanged into Devakī’s bed; Kaṃsa, hearing the child’s cry, seizes and throws her onto a stone slab—an emblematic moment where violence confronts divine māyā."}
Concept: Adharma (cruelty) intensifies bondage and delusion; divine māyā protects the avatāra and reveals the futility of violent control.
Application: Ethical warning against harming the helpless; cultivate ahiṃsā and discernment rather than acting from fear and prophecy-obsession.
Khanda Section: Avataras / Krishna-Charita (Narrative of Vishnu’s incarnations and allied Puranic legends)
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Kaṃsa storms into the chamber, hears the infant’s cry, grabs the baby girl and violently hurls her onto a stone slab, while Devakī’s bed and the prison setting frame the scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dramatic moment: fierce Kaṃsa with exaggerated expression, infant girl in motion, stone slab foreground, Devakī distressed, bold lines and high-contrast colors typical of temple murals.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Kaṃsa in royal attire, dynamic pose mid-throw, gold accents on ornaments, strong narrative clarity, background simplified to emphasize the moral drama.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, sequential storytelling feel: Kaṃsa entering, hearing cry, grasping infant, stone slab shown clearly; refined linework and muted tones for a didactic scene.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed courtly-prison interior, Kaṃsa captured in a frozen dynamic gesture, attendants recoiling, intricate floor patterns and stone slab rendered with realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"intense","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यशोदाबालिकां = यशोदा-बालिकाम्; देवकीशयने = देवकी-शयने; ऽनयत् = अनयत्; ताञ्चिक्षेप = ताम् + चिक्षेप (म्→ञ् परे च्)
Related Themes: Agni Purana Avatara-khaṇḍa: Kaṃsa’s fear and killings (12.9)
FAQs
No ritual/technical vidyā is taught here; the verse is narrative, describing Kaṃsa’s reaction and violent attempt to kill the infant after hearing a child’s cry.
By preserving a widely-circulated Purāṇic episode (Krishna’s birth cycle and Kaṃsa’s persecution), it shows the Agni Purana’s compendious scope—combining theology, avatāra-history, and moral narrative alongside its many technical sections.
The verse highlights adharma (cruelty and infanticidal intent) as a mark of demonic kingship, while implicitly underscoring divine protection of dharma—setting the moral contrast that culminates in Kaṃsa’s eventual downfall.