Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 22
Chapter 365 — क्षत्रविट्शूद्रवर्गाः
The Classes of Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras
अभ्यवस्कन्दनन्त्वभ्यासादनं विजयो जयः निर्वासनं संज्ञपनं सारणं प्रतिघातनं
abhyavaskandanantvabhyāsādanaṃ vijayo jayaḥ nirvāsanaṃ saṃjñapanaṃ sāraṇaṃ pratighātanaṃ
Ang “abhyavaskandana” ay biglaang pagsalakay; ang “abhyāsādana” ay pagpapahina sa paulit-ulit na pagdiin; ang “vijaya” at “jaya” ay tagumpay at ganap na pananaig; ang “nirvāsana” ay pagpapaalis sa kaaway; ang “saṃjñāpana” ay pagpapasuko o pagpapakilala ng pagsunod; ang “sāraṇa” ay pagpapangalat at pagpapatakas; at ang “pratighātana” ay ganting-salakay o pagpapaurong—mga pinangalanang gawaing taktikal ito.
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, Dhanurveda exposition)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dhanurveda","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Battlefield command vocabulary: naming and selecting tactical operations for attack, attrition, expulsion, submission, rout, and repulse.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Tactical operations: abhyavaskandana to pratighātana","lookup_keywords":["abhyavaskandana","abhyāsādana","nirvāsana","sāraṇa","pratighātana"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates standard maneuvers—sudden onrush, repeated pressure/attrition, victory modes, driving out, forcing submission, scattering, and counter-strike—usable as concise battlefield orders."}
Concept: Saṃjñā (technical naming) enables rapid coordination and disciplined action in collective enterprises like war.
Application: Standard terms reduce ambiguity in orders and improve interoperability among units.
Khanda Section: Dhanurveda (Military Science: tactics and battlefield maneuvers)
Primary Rasa: vīra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A battlefield commander signals distinct maneuvers—shock onrush, sustained pressure, expulsion, forced submission, rout, and counter-strike—shown as sequential vignettes.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural; stylized army lines with elephants and infantry, commander gesturing mudrā-like signals, labeled maneuvers on banners, bold flat colors and rhythmic composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore; heroic commander on horse with gold-embossed armor, troops in ordered bands, decorative arches and gilded highlights on standards naming tactics.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore; diagrammatic yet elegant depiction of troop movements with arrows and Sanskrit labels, soft shading, instructional manuscript aesthetic.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature; detailed campaign scene with multiple action clusters, officers issuing orders, banners inscribed with terms, fine landscape and courtly realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bilawal","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: abhyavaskandanantvabhyāsādanaṃ = अभ्यवस्कन्दनम् + तु + अभ्यासादनम् (m + t → ntv).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Dhanurveda sections (weaponry, vyūha, training); Agni Purana 365 (kośa-style tactical vocabulary)
FAQs
This verse imparts Dhanurveda knowledge by enumerating standard battlefield operations—assault, attrition through repeated pressure, victory states, expulsion, forced submission, routing, and counter-attack—used for organizing and describing tactical conduct in war.
By cataloging precise tactical terms, it shows the Agni Purana functioning as a compendium that preserves not only theology and ritual but also applied statecraft and military science, including a technical vocabulary for strategy and combat operations.
Within a dharmic frame of kingship, such instruction supports righteous protection of subjects; when employed for defense and the maintenance of order (rajadharma), martial skill is treated as a disciplined duty rather than mere violence.