Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 15
Arthālaṅkāras (Ornaments of Meaning): Definitions, Taxonomy, and the Centrality of Upamā
धर्माः प्रत्युपमानञ्चेदन्ये मालोपमैव साअप्_३४३०१५अबुपमानविकारेण तुलना विक्रियोपमा
dharmāḥ pratyupamānañcedanye mālopamaiva sāap_343015abupamānavikāreṇa tulanā vikriyopamā
Когда «дхармы» (dharmas), то есть признаки сравнения, вместе с «контр-образцом» (pratyupamāna) представлены в иных расположениях, это становится «упамой-гирляндой» (mālopamā). Сравнение, возникающее при изменении «образца сравнения» (upamāna), называется tulanā; а «упама превращения» — это vikriyopamā.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purana’s poetics section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"To compose advanced simile-structures: mālopamā by re-ordering dharmas and pratyupamāna; tulanā by altering the upamāna; vikriyopamā by presenting transformation in the compared term(s).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Mālopamā; Tulanā; Vikriyopamā (Advanced Simile-Patterns)","lookup_keywords":["mālopamā","pratyupamāna","tulanā","vikriyopamā","upamāna-vikāra"],"quick_summary":"Mālopamā arises when the comparative properties and counter-standard are arranged in alternate/garlanded sequence. If the upamāna is modified to create the comparison, it is tulanā; if the comparison hinges on transformation (vikriyā), it is vikriyopamā."}
Alamkara Type: Upamā (Mālopamā; Tulanā; Vikriyopamā)
Concept: Form (arrangement) and semantic operation (modification/transformation) are distinct levers in poetic meaning-making.
Application: Use mālopamā for ornate, interlaced description; use tulanā when the standard must be ‘reshaped’ to fit the intended point; use vikriyopamā to depict dynamic change (emotion, season, light) through simile.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Alankara-shastra / Sanskrit Poetics)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Three-panel instructional illustration: (1) a garland with alternating beads labeled ‘dharma’ and ‘pratyupamāna’ (mālopamā), (2) a standard object being artistically ‘reshaped’ (tulanā), (3) an object shown changing form across frames (vikriyopamā).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural triptych, ornate garland motif with labeled beads, a sculptor-like poet reshaping a symbolic upamāna, and a transformation sequence (bud to bloom) as vikriyopamā, traditional palette and borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore triptych with gold-embossed garland, gilded ribbons bearing labels, central panel shows modified emblem (moon becoming a lamp), right panel shows transformation sequence with gold highlights, rich decorative frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear didactic panels with neat callouts, garland diagram, modified upamāna sketch, transformation storyboard, fine lines and soft washes suited to instruction.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, album-page layout with three vignettes, delicate garland ornament, an artisan-poet altering a motif on paper, and a metamorphosis scene (cloud to rain) rendered naturalistically with calligraphy captions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Raga Saraswati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रत्युपमानञ्चेत् = प्रति-उपमानम् + चेत् (anusvāra from sandhi); चेदन्ये = चेत् + अन्ये; मालोपमैव = माला-उपमा + एव. Source text contains an insertion ‘अप्_343015अब’; treated as non-lexical markup and omitted from pada segmentation.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 343 (continuation of upamā-bhedas; related ornaments like atiśayokti/vyatireka nearby in sequence)
FAQs
It imparts kavya-vidya (poetics): technical definitions of simile-figures—mālopamā (a chain of similes), tulanā (comparison via altered upamāna), and vikriyopamā (simile involving transformation).
Beyond ritual and dharma, the Agni Purana catalogues intellectual sciences; here it functions like a handbook of Sanskrit rhetoric by classifying and naming precise sub-types of upamā used in classical literature.
By teaching disciplined, truthful expression and refined literary understanding, it supports sattvic speech (vāṅmaya-saṃskāra) and the proper transmission of dharma through well-formed scripture and teaching.