Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 20
Sūryavaṃśa-kīrtana
Proclamation of the Solar Dynasty
आयुस्तस्य च पुत्रो ऽभूद्युवनाश्वस् तथा सुतः युवनाश्वाच्च श्रावन्तः पूर्वे श्रावन्तिका पुरी
āyustasya ca putro 'bhūdyuvanāśvas tathā sutaḥ yuvanāśvācca śrāvantaḥ pūrve śrāvantikā purī
அவனுக்கு ஆயுஸ் என்ற மகன் பிறந்தான்; ஆயுஸுக்கு யுவநாஶ்வன் மகனானான். யுவநாஶ்வனிடமிருந்து ஸ்ராவந்தன் பிறந்தான்; முற்காலத்தில் ஸ்ராவந்திகா எனும் நகரமும் இருந்தது.
Lord Agni (narrating the Purana’s contents to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s frame-dialogue)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Dynastic memory for Itihasa-Purana study: locating kings, eponymous cities, and succession order used in ritual genealogical recitations and historical orientation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Āyus–Yuvanāśva–Śrāvanta lineage and Śrāvantikā city eponym","lookup_keywords":["Āyus","Yuvanāśva","Śrāvanta","Śrāvantikā","Sūryavaṃśa"],"quick_summary":"Gives a compact succession (Āyus → Yuvanāśva → Śrāvanta) and preserves an eponymic toponym (Śrāvantikā), useful for mapping Purāṇic dynasties to place-names."}
Concept: Vaṃśa-smṛti (remembering lineage) as a support for social order and transmission of dharma through generations.
Application: Use as a mnemonic chain in Purāṇa recitation, śrāddha-related lineage recollection, and contextualizing vows/donations attributed to specific kings.
Khanda Section: Itihasa–Vamsha–Anucharita (Genealogies of kings and cities)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: City
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A court genealogist or sage recites the succession Āyus → Yuvanāśva → Śrāvanta, with a stylized ancient city labeled Śrāvantikā in the background.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, sage with palm-leaf manuscript reciting Solar dynasty names, flat bold colors, ornate borders, distant fortified city with name-scroll ‘Śrāvantikā’, traditional lamps, serene atmosphere","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, royal genealogy scene with seated king and minister-scribe, gold-leaf highlights on crowns and ornaments, architectural arch framing, small vignette of city Śrāvantikā with gilded towers","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional genealogical tableau with labeled figures (Āyus, Yuvanāśva, Śrāvanta) in sequence, delicate lines, muted palette, clear cartouches for names, cityscape inset","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court historian presenting a scroll of lineage to a king, fine detailing, Persianate architectural city in background labeled Śrāvantikā, balanced composition, subdued jewel tones"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Raga Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: putro 'bhūt = putraḥ + abhūt; abhūdyuvanāśvaḥ = abhūt + yuvanāśvaḥ; yuvanāśvācca = yuvanāśvāt + ca; śrāvantikā purī = śrāvantikā + purī (no sandhi change).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Itihāsa–Vaṃśa sections continuing Ikṣvāku/Sūryavaṃśa catalogues (adjacent verses in ch. 272)
FAQs
No ritual or technical vidyā is taught here; the verse functions as a dynastic register, preserving succession (Āyus → Yuvanāśva → Śrāvanta) and a related toponym (Śrāvantikā).
By cataloging royal genealogies and place-names, it adds historical-geographical indexing to the text—one of the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic layers alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and aesthetics.
Its significance is indirect: remembering righteous lineages and sacred history is treated in Purāṇic tradition as smṛti-based merit (punya) and as a way to situate dharma within time, rulers, and regions.