Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 18
Chapter 365 — क्षत्रविट्शूद्रवर्गाः
The Classes of Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras
प्रासस्तु कुन्तो विज्ञेयः सर्वला तोमरो ऽस्त्रियां वैतालिका बोधकरा मागधा वन्दिनस्तुतौ
prāsastu kunto vijñeyaḥ sarvalā tomaro 'striyāṃ vaitālikā bodhakarā māgadhā vandinastutau
O prāsa deve ser entendido como (a arma chamada) kunta. Sarvalā também é chamada tomara. No feminino, vaitālikā, bodhakarā e māgadhā designam um panegirista; e vandin e stuti designam o louvor (elogio).
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) instructing a sage (commonly Vasiṣṭha in framing tradition)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","practical_application":"Disambiguate terms that overlap between poetics (prāsa) and weapon names (kunta, tomara), and define vocabulary for bards/panegyrists and praise genres used in courts and rituals.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Prāsa as Kunta; Vaitālikā/Māgadhā as Panegyrist; Vandin/Stuti as Praise","lookup_keywords":["prāsa","kunta","tomara","vaitālikā","māgadhā"],"quick_summary":"Clarifies that certain words denote weapons (kunta, tomara) while others denote professional eulogists and the act/genre of praise, aiding correct reading across śāstra domains."}
Alamkara Type: Prāsa (as a śabdālaṅkāra term elsewhere; here noted as a homonymous lexical item)
Weapon Type: Kunta (spear/lance); Tomara (javelin/throwing spear).
Concept: Śabda-artha viveka (discrimination of word-meanings across contexts).
Application: Prevents misreading in mixed corpora where the same term may belong to poetics, weaponry, or social roles.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Lexicography & Poetics terminology)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A royal court: a panegyrist (vaitālika/māgadha) recites stuti before a king; beside them, guards hold kunta and tomara weapons; a scholar annotates a lexicon showing prāsa/kunta equivalence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, court pavilion with bard singing praise, guards with spears (kunta) and javelins (tomara), palm-leaf manuscript with highlighted terms, stylized faces and bold contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, king on throne with gold halo-like arch, bard offering stuti, gold embellishment on spear tips and court ornaments, inscription cartouches for vaitālikā and māgadhā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, balanced instructional-court scene: left panel shows weapons labeled kunta/tomara; right panel shows bard labeled vaitālikā/māgadhā; fine detailing and soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate durbar with musician-poet praising, attendants holding lances and throwing spears, marginal glossary notes, intricate textiles and architectural arches."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रासस्तु → प्रासः + तु. तोमरो ऽस्त्रियां → तोमरः + अस्त्रियां (अः + अ → ’). वन्दिनस्तुतौ → वन्दिनः + स्तुतौ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Sahitya-shastra sections on alaṅkāra and doṣa; Dhanurveda lists of spears/javelins (nearby verses)
FAQs
Kośa-style technical vocabulary is taught: specific weapon synonyms (prāsa = kunta; sarvalā = tomara) and literary/social terms for professional bards and praise (vaitālikā/māgadhā; vandin/stuti).
It functions like a compact glossary spanning multiple disciplines—Dhanurveda (weapon nomenclature) and Sahitya/royal-court culture (panegyrist and eulogy terms)—showing the text’s cataloging of practical and literary knowledge.
While primarily lexical, correct naming and usage supports precise recitation, instruction, and courtly/ritual communication—seen in Purāṇic tradition as aiding dharma through accurate speech (śabda-śuddhi) and right understanding.