Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 23
Chapter 174 — प्रायश्चित्तानि
Expiations
शिक्षा छन्दो व्याकरणं निरुक्तञ्चाभिधानकं कल्पो न्यायश् च मीमांसा ह्य् अन्यत् सर्वं हरिः प्रभुः
śikṣā chando vyākaraṇaṃ niruktañcābhidhānakaṃ kalpo nyāyaś ca mīmāṃsā hy anyat sarvaṃ hariḥ prabhuḥ
ศิกษา ฉันท์ ไวยากรณ์ นิรุกติ อภิธาน กัลปะ นยายะ และมีมางสา—รวมทั้งสิ่งอื่นทั้งหมด—ล้วนมีพระหริเป็นองค์อธิปติและเป็นบ่อเกิดแห่งวิชา.
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instruction frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Samanya","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Frames the Vedanga–Darshana curriculum as ultimately grounded in Hari, encouraging integrated study where linguistic, ritual, and philosophical disciplines are pursued as a unified pursuit of truth.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vedanga–Darshana–Shabda-vidya as Hari’s sovereignty","lookup_keywords":["Shiksha","Chandas","Vyakarana","Nirukta","Nyaya Mimamsa"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates core śāstras (phonetics, meter, grammar, etymology, lexicon, ritual, logic, exegesis) and asserts their ultimate source and lordship in Hari, promoting a theistic integration of knowledge."}
Alamkara Type: Samuccaya (enumerative listing)
Concept: All branches of knowledge culminate in and are governed by Hari; śāstra is ultimately a means toward the Supreme.
Application: Study any discipline as upāsanā: begin with invocation, maintain ethical intent, and relate conclusions back to dharma and devotion.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra / Shabda-vidya (Vedanga and Darshana compendium)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A seated Hari as cosmic teacher, with personified śāstras (Śikṣā, Chandas, Vyākaraṇa, Nirukta, Abhidhāna, Kalpa, Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā) arranged like attendants holding palm-leaf manuscripts and ritual implements.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Vishnu as guru on a lotus throne, eight personified vidyas with palm-leaf granthas, warm earthy palette, bold outlines, sacred aura, symmetrical composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Vishnu enthroned with prabhavali and heavy gold leaf, eight vidya-devis/ṛṣis holding manuscripts and a yajña ladle, rich reds and greens, jeweled ornaments, embossed gold work.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, Vishnu teaching gesture, labeled manuscripts for Shiksha/Chandas/Vyakarana etc., calm scholarly setting with a low desk and inkpot, soft shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly scholarly assembly with Vishnu as central luminous figure, scholars presenting treatises, detailed textiles and manuscripts, architectural pavilion background, fine brush detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: निरुक्तञ्चाभिधानकम् = निरुक्तम् + च + अभिधानकम्; न्यायश् च = न्यायः + च; ह्य् अन्यत् = हि + अन्यत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Sahitya-shastra/Alamkara sections (poetics and metrics); Agni Purana: Vedanga and mantra-related chapters; Agni Purana: Vishnu-stotra and bhakti passages around ch. 174
FAQs
It lists core knowledge-systems—Vedāṅgas (Śikṣā, Chandas, Vyākaraṇa, Nirukta, Kalpa), plus Abhidhāna (lexicography), Nyāya (logic), and Mīmāṃsā (Vedic exegesis)—as the principal disciplines for correct recitation, interpretation, and application of sacred and scholarly learning.
By explicitly cataloguing multiple śāstric domains (language sciences, ritual jurisprudence, logic, and hermeneutics), it demonstrates the Agni Purāṇa’s method of compressing a broad curriculum into a Purāṇic framework—linking technical disciplines to a unifying theological principle.
It frames all branches of learning as ultimately grounded in Hari, directing scholarship toward devotion and right understanding; knowledge pursued with this orientation is presented as purifying and as supporting dharma rather than mere intellectual display.