Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 12
Description of the Royal Dynasties (राजवंशवर्णनम्) — Chapter Colophon and Transition
केतुमतो हेमरथो दिवोदास इतिश्रुतः प्रतर्दनो दिवोदासाद्भर्गवत्सौ प्रतर्दनात्
ketumato hemaratho divodāsa itiśrutaḥ pratardano divodāsādbhargavatsau pratardanāt
ਕੇਤੁਮਾਨ ਤੋਂ ਹੇਮਰਥ ਹੋਇਆ; ਹੇਮਰਥ ਤੋਂ ਦਿਵੋਦਾਸ—ਇਉਂ ਪਰੰਪਰਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੁਣਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਦਿਵੋਦਾਸ ਤੋਂ ਪ੍ਰਤર્દਨ ਅਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਤર્દਨ ਤੋਂ ਦੋ ਭਾਰਗਵ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਹੋਏ।
Lord Agni (narrating the Purana to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Samanya","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Dynastic sequencing for historical-ritual context; supports royal legitimacy narratives and the mapping of succession in Kāśī traditions.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Ketumān to Pratardana: Kāśī succession and Bhārgava descendants","lookup_keywords":["Ketumat","Hemaratha","Divodasa","Pratardana","Bhargava"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates the Kāśī line from Ketumān through Hemaratha and Divodāsa to Pratardana, noting the emergence of two Bhārgavas from Pratardana."}
Concept: Iti-śruta—authoritative transmission by heard tradition; continuity of dharma through remembered succession.
Application: Frames how Purāṇic knowledge is validated (śruti/smṛti-like ‘heard’ tradition) and used to anchor narratives of kings and sages.
Khanda Section: Vamshanucharita (Genealogies of royal lineages)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence of royal portraits or a court genealogist presenting the line: Ketumān → Hemaratha → Divodāsa → Pratardana, with Bhārgava twins indicated as descendants.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized royal figures in a horizontal frieze with name banners, palace and temple motifs, the reciter pointing to each successor, saturated earthy tones","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, four haloed kings in a vertical lineage panel with gold embossing, Pratardana central, Bhārgava pair as smaller figures below, ornate arch frame","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean genealogical diagram with miniature busts and connecting lines, court setting minimal, emphasis on clarity and labels","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court historian unfurling a scroll showing the succession, detailed costumes and jeweled thrones, subtle architectural depth"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इतिश्रुतः → इति + श्रुतः; दिवोदासाद्भर्गवत्सौ → दिवोदासात् + भर्गवत्सौ (त् + भ → द्भ).
Related Themes: Agni Purana ch. 277 surrounding Kāśī genealogy verses; Agni Purana genealogical method passages (vaṃśa-nirdeśa) in other dynastic chapters
FAQs
No ritual or technical vidyā is taught here; the verse transmits vamśa (dynastic) knowledge by listing successive ancestors and descendants as preserved in śruti/smṛti-style tradition (itiśrutaḥ).
By preserving historical-genealogical data (vamśānucarita) alongside ritual, polity, and other sciences, the Agni Purana functions as a reference compendium—cataloging lineages that anchor narratives, regional kingship traditions, and Purāṇic historiography.
Reciting and remembering righteous lineages is traditionally held to support śraddhā (faith) and dharma-smṛti (memory of dharma), reinforcing continuity of sacred history and merit through attentive listening (śravaṇa) of Purāṇic accounts.