Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 16
Varāhādy-avatāra-varṇana
Description of Varāha and Other Incarnations
अप्रार्थयत् कामधेनुं यदा स न ददौ तदा हृतवानथ रामेण शिरश्छित्वा निपातितः
aprārthayat kāmadhenuṃ yadā sa na dadau tadā hṛtavānatha rāmeṇa śiraśchitvā nipātitaḥ
అతడు కామధేనువును కోరెను; ఇవ్వనందున ఆమెను హరించెను. అనంతరం రాముడు శిరఃఛేదము చేసి అతనిని పడగొట్టెను।
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","practical_application":"Warns against adharma of coercive taking (especially of cow/āśrama property); illustrates swift retributive justice through Paraśurāma.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Seizure of Kāmadhenu and Paraśurāma’s beheading of Kārttavīrya","lookup_keywords":["Kāmadhenu-haraṇa","Paraśurāma","śiraś-cheda","adharma","dāna"],"quick_summary":"Refusal to give Kāmadhenu leads the king to seize her; Paraśurāma responds with lethal punishment, marking the dharmic boundary between request and theft."}
Alamkara Type: Kārya-kāraṇa and Raudra-vyakti (cause-effect leading to wrath)
Weapon Type: Axe (Paraśu)
Concept: Adharma (forcible appropriation) invites immediate karmic/ethical consequence; sacred property is not subject to royal whim.
Application: In governance and personal conduct, distinguish lawful request from coercion; protect cows/commons/holy institutions; enforce proportional justice.
Khanda Section: Itihasa–Purana Narratives (Rama-Parashurama episode; Dana and transgression)
Primary Rasa: Raudra
Secondary Rasa: Vīra
Type: Forest hermitage vicinity
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The king attempts to take Kāmadhenu; Paraśurāma confronts him and beheads him with an axe.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dramatic confrontation at forest edge; Paraśurāma in fierce stance with raised paraśu; king with royal armor; Kāmadhenu pulled by attendants; bold red-black contrasts, expressive eyes.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Paraśurāma central with halo and axe; king falling; Kāmadhenu to the side with ornate decoration; gold leaf emphasizing divine justice; stylized blood minimal, symbolic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: sequential storytelling—panel showing request refused, then seizure, then Paraśurāma’s strike; refined linework, controlled drama, didactic clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: action scene with detailed weapons and garments; dynamic diagonals; attendants restraining cow; Paraśurāma’s axe mid-swing; landscape with trees and distant camp."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शिरश्छित्वा = शिरः + छित्वा (विसर्ग→श् before छ).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 4.15 (hospitality); Agni Purana 4.17 (aftermath and Jamadagni’s death)
FAQs
The verse conveys dharma-vidya in narrative form: the ethics of rightful possession and the grave consequence of forcibly taking a sacred, wish-fulfilling cow when a request is denied.
By embedding moral jurisprudence (dharma, transgression, and retribution) within an itihasa-style episode, the text teaches social-ethical norms alongside its many other disciplines—showing how narrative functions as a vehicle for law-and-ethics instruction.
It highlights that adharma—especially seizure of sacred property—ripens into immediate punitive consequence; the act of violence here is framed as the karmic outcome of an initial wrongful appropriation.