Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 1
Chapter 291 — Śāntyāyurveda
Ayurveda for Pacificatory Rites): Go-śānti, Penance-Regimens, and Therapeutics (incl. Veterinary Care
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे गजशान्तिर्नाम नवत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः कृद्वान्यस्मिन्निति ख , ज , ञ च अथैकनवत्यधिकद्विशततमो ऽध्यायः शान्त्यायुर्वेदः धन्वन्तरिर् उवाच गोविप्रपालनं कर्यं रज्ञा गोशान्तिमावदे गावः पवित्रा माङ्गल्या गोषु लोकाः प्रतिष्ठिताः
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe gajaśāntirnāma navatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ kṛdvānyasminniti kha , ja , ña ca athaikanavatyadhikadviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ śāntyāyurvedaḥ dhanvantarir uvāca goviprapālanaṃ karyaṃ rajñā gośāntimāvade gāvaḥ pavitrā māṅgalyā goṣu lokāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ
ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਅਗਨੀ ਮਹਾਪੁਰਾਣ ਵਿੱਚ ‘ਗਜਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ’ ਨਾਮਕ ਦੋ ਸੌ ਨੱਬੇਵਾਂ ਅਧਿਆਇ ਸਮਾਪਤ ਹੋਇਆ। ਹੁਣ ‘ਸ਼ਾਂਤ੍ਯਾਯੁਰਵੇਦ’ ਨਾਮਕ ਦੋ ਸੌ ਇਕਾਨੱਬੇਵਾਂ ਅਧਿਆਇ ਆਰੰਭ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਧਨਵੰਤਰੀ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ—ਰਾਜੇ ਨੂੰ ਗਾਂਵਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣਾਂ ਦੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਕਰਨੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ; ਹੁਣ ਮੈਂ ਗੋ-ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ ਦਾ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਦੱਸਦਾ ਹਾਂ। ਗਾਂਵਾਂ ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਤੇ ਮੰਗਲਮਈ ਹਨ; ਲੋਕ ਗਾਂਵਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਸ਼ਠਿਤ ਹਨ।
Dhanvantari
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Royal protective policy and pacificatory health-rite framing: safeguarding cows and brāhmaṇas, and performing go-śānti as a state-level śānti measure linked to wellbeing and auspiciousness.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Śāntyāyurveda Prastāva: Go-vipra-pālana and Go-śānti (cows as auspicious foundation)","lookup_keywords":["śāntyāyurveda","go-śānti","go-vipra-pālana","dhanvantari","maṅgalya"],"quick_summary":"Dhanvantari frames pacificatory Ayurveda for kings: protect cows and brāhmaṇas and perform cow-pacification rites, since cows are held as pure, auspicious supports of the worlds."}
Concept: Go-vipra-rakṣā is a pillar of righteous kingship; the cow is treated as a cosmic support and auspicious purifier within śānti logic.
Application: Adopt policies and rites that protect agrarian sustenance and ritual learning communities, aiming at stability, prosperity, and collective wellbeing.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda / Shanti-vidhi (Śāntyāyurveda; royal rites of pacification and protection)
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Dhanvantari introduces Śāntyāyurveda to a king: teaching that the king must protect cows and brāhmaṇas; cows are shown as pure and auspicious, symbolically supporting the worlds.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Dhanvantari seated teaching with amṛta-kalaśa, a king listening respectfully, brāhmaṇas nearby, serene cows adorned with garlands; earthy reds/ochres, temple-mural composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Dhanvantari with gold halo and ornate jewelry, king offering respect, sacred cows with decorative cloth and gold accents; embossed gold work emphasizing auspiciousness.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic court scene—Dhanvantari instructing, king and brāhmaṇas present, cows in foreground; fine linework and gentle shading, clear narrative clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: scholarly audience scene—physician-sage Dhanvantari addressing a ruler, attendants and brāhmaṇas, cows in a palace garden; intricate textiles and naturalistic animals."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ity āgneye = iti + āgneye; gajaśāntirnāma = gajaśāntiḥ + nāma; 'dhyāyaḥ = adhyāyaḥ (avagraha); athaikanavatyadhikadviśatatamo = atha + eka-navati-adhika-dviśatatamaḥ; dhanvantarir uvāca = dhanvantariḥ + uvāca; gośāntimāvade = gośāntim + āvade.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 290 (Gaja-śānti chapter colophon and transition); Agni Purana 291 (Śāntyāyurveda section to follow: go-śānti details)
FAQs
It introduces Śāntyāyurveda and states the king’s practical duty of go-vipra-pālana (protecting cows and brāhmaṇas), then announces instruction in go-śānti—pacificatory rites aimed at securing welfare and averting harms/inauspicious conditions connected with cattle.
It links governance (rājadharma: protection of key social-religious supports) with ritual-therapeutic knowledge (śānti + āyurveda), showing how the Agni Purana integrates statecraft, ritual technology, and health/auspiciousness frameworks into a single compendium.
By framing cows as inherently purifying and auspicious—and as a foundation of the worlds—the verse presents their protection as a merit-producing royal obligation that sustains cosmic and social order while promoting prosperity and the removal of inauspiciousness.