Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 61
Āgneya-Purāṇa-māhātmya
The Greatness and Self-Testimony of the Agni Purāṇa
अलङ्कारो विघण्डुश् च शिक्षाकल्प इहोदितः स्मृतः नैमित्तिकः प्राकृतिको लय आत्यन्तिकः
alaṅkāro vighaṇḍuś ca śikṣākalpa ihoditaḥ smṛtaḥ naimittikaḥ prākṛtiko laya ātyantikaḥ
अलङ्कारः विघण्डुश्च तथा शिक्षाकल्प इहोदितः। लयः पुनस्त्रिविधः स्मृतः—नैमित्तिकः, प्राकृतिको, ऽत्यन्तिकश्च।
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Use as a dual-reference: (1) locating kāvya tools (alaṅkāra, lexicon/word-division aids like vighaṇḍu, and śikṣā-kalpa for correct recitation/ritual procedure), and (2) classifying cosmic dissolution (laya) into naimittika, prākṛtika, and ātyantika for doctrinal teaching.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Laya-traya (Naimittika–Prākṛtika–Ātyantika) with Śāstra-nāma-saṅgraha","lookup_keywords":["Alankara","Vighandu","Shiksha Kalpa","Naimittika laya","Prakritika Atyantika"],"quick_summary":"Names key literary/recitational disciplines and defines three dissolutions: periodic (naimittika), elemental/natural (prākṛtika), and final/absolute (ātyantika), useful for cosmology and liberation doctrine."}
Alamkara Type: Alamkara-shastra (general category; specific figures not enumerated here)
Concept: Threefold dissolution culminating in ātyantika (final) dissolution aligned with liberation; periodic and elemental dissolutions frame cosmic cycles.
Application: For teaching cosmology: map naimittika to periodic pralaya, prākṛtika to dissolution into prakṛti/tattvas, and ātyantika to cessation of bondage through knowledge.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Alankara-shastra / Kavya-vidya)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A split composition: on one side a poet-scholar with manuscript labeled 'Alaṅkāra' and a lexicon/word-splitting scroll labeled 'Vighaṇḍu', alongside a reciter demonstrating phonetic marks (Śikṣā-Kalpa); on the other side three cosmic panels showing naimittika (worlds dissolving at a kalpa-end), prākṛtika (elements merging back), and ātyantika (a yogin in stillness beyond dissolution).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-register narrative: upper register shows cosmic dissolution in three vignettes with stylized waves, fire, and merging elements; lower register shows a scholar with palm-leaf texts titled Alaṅkāra, Vighaṇḍu, Śikṣā-Kalpa; flat iconic forms, ochres and reds","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold work: central meditative yogin symbolizing ātyantika, flanked by two gold-framed panels of naimittika and prākṛtika dissolution; foreground scholar holding ornate manuscript 'Alaṅkāra'; rich jewel tones","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic diagram-like layout: three labeled circles for laya types with small illustrative scenes; a teacher pointing with stylus; delicate shading and clean labels","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholarly atelier with cosmological chart; margins depict three dissolutions as miniature scenes; fine architectural detail, calligraphic labels for naimittika/prākṛtika/ātyantika"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इहोदितः = इह + उदितः (स्वर-सन्धिः). विघण्डुश् च = विघण्डुः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: उः + च → उश् च).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 382 (Alamkara-shastra / Vidya-saṅgraha context)
FAQs
It catalogs disciplines being taught—Alankāra (Sanskrit poetics/ornamentation), Śikṣā-kalpa (instructional/phonetic rules in a kalpa-like format), and then defines the technical threefold classification of laya (dissolution): naimittika, prākṛtika, and ātyantika.
A single verse bridges literary science (Alankāra), pedagogical/phonetic auxiliary learning (Śikṣā), and cosmological doctrine (types of pralaya), showing how the Agni Purana compiles multiple knowledge-systems side by side.
By distinguishing temporary, cosmic, and ultimate dissolution, the verse supports a graduated spiritual view: worldly events are causally conditioned (naimittika), creation itself is cyclic (prākṛtika), and liberation culminates in final cessation/absorption (ātyantika), encouraging detachment and pursuit of mokṣa.