Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 17
Sargaviṣayaka-varṇana — The Topics of Primary Creation
Sarga
पितृभ्यश् च स्वधायाञ्च मेना वैधारिणी सुते हिंसाभार्या त्वधर्मस्य तयोर्जज्ञे तथानृतम्
pitṛbhyaś ca svadhāyāñca menā vaidhāriṇī sute hiṃsābhāryā tvadharmasya tayorjajñe tathānṛtam
Dos Pitṛ (os ancestrais) e de Svadhā nasceu Menā, filha de Vaidhāriṇī. E Hiṁsā (a Violência) foi esposa de Adharma; de ambos nasceu, de fato, Anṛta (a Falsidade).
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic lineages to a sage interlocutor)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Moral-cosmological mapping of virtues/vices as genealogical entities; used to teach ethical causality (adharma → anṛta) and to contextualize divine lineages (Menā).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Genealogy of Ethical Negatives: Adharma–Hiṁsā → Anṛta; and Menā’s Birth","lookup_keywords":["Pitṛ","Svadhā","Menā","Adharma","Anṛta"],"quick_summary":"States Menā’s origin from Pitṛs and Svadhā, and frames falsehood (Anṛta) as born from the union of Adharma and Hiṁsā—an ethical genealogy illustrating karmic causation."}
Alamkara Type: Rūpaka (personification)
Concept: Adharma coupled with violence generates falsehood; ethical states propagate further ethical consequences (moral genealogy).
Application: Avoid hiṁsā and adharma to prevent the cascade into anṛta; cultivate satya and ahiṁsā as stabilizing roots of conduct.
Khanda Section: Sarga / Genealogies (Puranic Cosmology and Lineages)
Primary Rasa: Bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two parallel vignettes: serene Pitṛs receiving svadhā offerings with Menā emerging as a luminous daughter; and a darker allegory where Adharma and Hiṁsā unite, giving rise to Anṛta as a shadowy figure.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural split-panel composition: left—Pitṛs with offerings labeled ‘svadhā’, Menā depicted as radiant maiden; right—Adharma and Hiṁsā in darker tones producing Anṛta, strong outlines and symbolic gestures.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style diptych: left devotional Pitṛ scene with gold halos and offering vessels; right moral allegory with subdued palette but gold accents on symbolic elements, ornate borders framing dharma teaching.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic allegory with clear figure labeling, gentle modeling for Pitṛs and Menā, contrasted with sharper expressions for Adharma/Hiṁsā/Anṛta, manuscript-illustration feel.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined allegorical court-scene style: Pitṛ ritual on one side, shadowy moral figures on the other, intricate textiles and architecture, subtle symbolism (twisted scroll for falsehood)."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पितृभ्यश् च = पितृभ्यः + च; स्वधायाञ्च = स्वधायाः + च; त्वधर्मस्य = तु + अधर्मस्य; तयोर्जज्ञे = तयोः + जज्ञे; तथानृतम् = तथा + अनृतम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 20 (ethical/cosmic genealogies of abstract principles)
FAQs
It encodes Pitṛ-related theology by linking the Pitṛs and Svadhā (the ancestral offering principle) to a genealogical framework, a common Purāṇic method for teaching how ritual concepts and ethical forces are interconnected.
Alongside ritual, polity, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also catalogues cosmology and moral metaphysics through structured genealogies—here mapping how abstract qualities (Adharma, Hiṁsā, Anṛta) are systematized as lineage-members.
By portraying Falsehood (Anṛta) as arising from Unrighteousness (Adharma) joined with Violence (Hiṁsā), the verse frames untruth as a karmically rooted outcome of unethical disposition and harmful action—warning that inner adharma tends to generate outward moral decay.