Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 13
Chapter 336 — काव्यादिलक्षणम्
Definitions of Poetry and Related Arts
कर्तृवंशप्रशंसा स्याद्यत्र गद्येन विस्तरात् कन्याहरणसंग्रामविप्रलम्भविपत्तयः
kartṛvaṃśapraśaṃsā syādyatra gadyena vistarāt kanyāharaṇasaṃgrāmavipralambhavipattayaḥ
บทประพันธ์ที่กล่าวสรรเสริญวงศ์ตระกูลของผู้ประพันธ์ด้วยร้อยแก้วอย่างพิสดาร และมีเหตุการณ์เช่นการลักพาหญิงสาว การศึกสงคราม ความพลัดพรากในความรัก และภัยพิบัติ ย่อมเป็น (ลักษณะ) ดังกล่าว
Lord Agni (teaching sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Natya","practical_application":"Classifying prose-romance/narrative types by their conventional subject-matter (lineage-praise, abduction, war, love-separation, calamity) to guide composition and critique.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Gadya-prabandha lakshana: vamsa-prashamsa with episodic motifs","lookup_keywords":["gadya","vamsa-prashamsa","kanyaharana","sangrama","vipralambha"],"quick_summary":"A prose composition is characterized by expansive narration that includes lineage-praise and set narrative motifs like abduction, battle, lovers’ separation, and reversals/calamities—useful as a checklist for prabandha design."}
Concept: Lakshana (definitional markers) for identifying a prose narrative by its standard thematic constituents.
Application: Use as an evaluative rubric: if these motifs and lineage-praise are present in expansive prose, the work fits the defined prabandha-type.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Kavya & Gadya-lakshana / Poetics and prose-description)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A courtly prose-narrator introduces his lineage, then a montage of key prabandha motifs: maiden-abduction, battlefield clash, lovers separated, and a calamity scene.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat vibrant colors, ornate borders; a royal poet in sabha reciting lineage-praise, with four vignette panels: kanyaharana, sangrama, vipralambha, vipatti; traditional costumes, stylized faces, warm reds and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf; central seated poet-scribe with palm-leaf manuscript, halo-like arch; surrounding medallions showing abduction, battle, separation, calamity; rich jewelry, embossed gold detailing, deep maroon background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, delicate linework and soft shading; instructional composition chart in the background labeling vamsa-prashamsa, kanyaharana, sangrama, vipralambha, vipatti; court scene with restrained palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, fine detail and architectural court setting; poet presenting a prose romance to a patron; margin vignettes of abduction on horseback, disciplined battle ranks, lovers parting at a palace gate, storm/famine calamity; naturalistic textiles and flora."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्याद्यत्र = स्यात् + यत्र; दीर्घ-सन्धि/व्यञ्जन-सन्धि।
Related Themes: Agni Purana 336 (Sahitya-shastra: gadya/prabandha-lakshana); Agni Purana 337 (continuations on kavya-bheda, if present in the recension)
FAQs
It imparts Sahitya-śāstra knowledge: the defining features and typical subject-matter motifs of an expansive prose narrative, including eulogistic openings and standard plot events.
By codifying literary theory (gadya-lakṣaṇa) alongside other disciplines, it shows the Agni Purana functioning as a multi-subject handbook—covering not only ritual and dharma but also aesthetics, composition, and narrative architecture.
Indirectly, it supports dharmic transmission: well-structured prose and exemplary narratives help preserve and communicate moral and spiritual teachings effectively, strengthening śāstra-study and cultural memory.