Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 8
Chapter 12 — श्रीहरिवंशवर्णनं (Śrī-Harivaṃśa-varṇana) | The Description of the Sacred Harivaṃśa
यशोदाबालिकां गृह्य देवकीशयने ऽनयत् कंसो बालध्वनिं श्रुत्वा ताञ्चिक्षेप शिलातले
yaśodābālikāṃ gṛhya devakīśayane 'nayat kaṃso bāladhvaniṃ śrutvā tāñcikṣepa śilātale
यशोदाबालिकां गृह्य देवकीशयनेऽनयत्; कंसो बालध्वनिं श्रुत्वा तां चिक्षेप शिलातले।
Lord Agni (narrating Puranic history to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Teaching the motif of yoga-māyā and the failure of adharma: the tyrant’s violence rebounds into revelation; used in kathā and moral instruction about cruelty and fate.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Kaṃsa Hurls the Infant Girl (Yoga-māyā) onto the Stone","lookup_keywords":["Yaśodā-kanyā","Devakī-śayana","Kaṃsa","śilātala","bāla-dhvani"],"quick_summary":"The infant girl is exchanged into Devakī’s bed; Kaṃsa, hearing the child’s cry, seizes and throws her onto a stone slab—an emblematic moment where violence confronts divine māyā."}
Concept: Adharma (cruelty) intensifies bondage and delusion; divine māyā protects the avatāra and reveals the futility of violent control.
Application: Ethical warning against harming the helpless; cultivate ahiṃsā and discernment rather than acting from fear and prophecy-obsession.
Khanda Section: Avataras / Krishna-Charita (Narrative of Vishnu’s incarnations and allied Puranic legends)
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: karuṇa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Kaṃsa storms into the chamber, hears the infant’s cry, grabs the baby girl and violently hurls her onto a stone slab, while Devakī’s bed and the prison setting frame the scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dramatic moment: fierce Kaṃsa with exaggerated expression, infant girl in motion, stone slab foreground, Devakī distressed, bold lines and high-contrast colors typical of temple murals.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Kaṃsa in royal attire, dynamic pose mid-throw, gold accents on ornaments, strong narrative clarity, background simplified to emphasize the moral drama.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, sequential storytelling feel: Kaṃsa entering, hearing cry, grasping infant, stone slab shown clearly; refined linework and muted tones for a didactic scene.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed courtly-prison interior, Kaṃsa captured in a frozen dynamic gesture, attendants recoiling, intricate floor patterns and stone slab rendered with realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"intense","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यशोदाबालिकां = यशोदा-बालिकाम्; देवकीशयने = देवकी-शयने; ऽनयत् = अनयत्; ताञ्चिक्षेप = ताम् + चिक्षेप (म्→ञ् परे च्)
Related Themes: Agni Purana Avatara-khaṇḍa: Kaṃsa’s fear and killings (12.9)
FAQs
No ritual/technical vidyā is taught here; the verse is narrative, describing Kaṃsa’s reaction and violent attempt to kill the infant after hearing a child’s cry.
By preserving a widely-circulated Purāṇic episode (Krishna’s birth cycle and Kaṃsa’s persecution), it shows the Agni Purana’s compendious scope—combining theology, avatāra-history, and moral narrative alongside its many technical sections.
The verse highlights adharma (cruelty and infanticidal intent) as a mark of demonic kingship, while implicitly underscoring divine protection of dharma—setting the moral contrast that culminates in Kaṃsa’s eventual downfall.