Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 2
Chapter 327 — छन्दःसारः
Chandas-sāra: The Essence of Metres
धनस्यान्नाथमेकन्त्विति ख ह्रस्वो गुरुर्वा पादान्ते पूर्वो योगाद् विसर्गतः अनुस्वाराद्व्यञ्जनात् स्थात् जिह्वामूलीयतस् तथा
dhanasyānnāthamekantviti kha hrasvo gururvā pādānte pūrvo yogād visargataḥ anusvārādvyañjanāt sthāt jihvāmūlīyatas tathā
Sa mga pahayag gaya ng “dhanasyān nātham” at “ekantviti-kha”, ang maikling pantig ay maaaring, ayon sa pagpili, ituring na mahaba sa dulo ng isang pāda (bahagi ng taludtod). Ang naunang pantig ay nagiging mahaba kapag sinusundan ng kumpol ng katinig (yoga), ng visarga (ḥ), ng anusvāra (ṃ), ng isang katinig, at gayundin ng jihvāmūlīya (guttural na anyo ng visarga).
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Practical scansion rules: apply optional pādānta lengthening and positional lengthening (before conjuncts, visarga, anusvāra, consonants, jihvāmūlīya) to correctly count syllable weight in metres.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Laghu-Guru Determination at Pāda-End and by Phonetic Environment","lookup_keywords":["laghu-guru","padanta","visarga","anusvara","jihvamuliya"],"quick_summary":"A short syllable may be optionally treated as long at pāda-end; syllables become long by position when followed by conjuncts or certain phonetic markers like ḥ, ṃ, consonants, and jihvāmūlīya."}
Concept: Śabda-niyama: disciplined phonetic analysis as a means to preserve and produce correct metrical speech.
Application: When scanning a verse, treat final short as optionally long; mark a syllable guru if followed by conjunct/ḥ/ṃ/consonant/jihvāmūlīya to avoid metrical errors.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Chandas & Prosody / Matra-vritta rules)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher demonstrates scansion: a pāda written on palm leaf with syllables marked laghu/guru; examples show visarga, anusvāra, conjuncts, and jihvāmūlīya affecting syllable length at the pāda end.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, guru pointing to palm-leaf verse with laghu-guru marks, enlarged symbols for ḥ and ṃ, students attentive, stylized script and phonetic signs, scholarly temple-school setting.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted manuscript with clear ḥ/ṃ signs, teacher indicating pādānta rule, students with stylus, ornate border, luminous instructional mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, diagrammatic clarity: a pāda segmented into syllables, laghu/guru markers, annotations ‘yoga’, ‘visarga’, ‘anusvāra’, ‘jihvāmūlīya’, clean lines and soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scribe’s desk with manuscript showing metrical markings, teacher explaining phonetic conditions, close-up marginal notes for ḥ/ṃ and conjuncts, refined scholarly ambience."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: dhanasyānnāthamekantviti → dhanasya + anna-artham + ekam + tu + iti; gururvā → guruḥ + vā; yogād visargataḥ → yogāt + visargataḥ; anusvārādvyañjanāt → anusvārāt + vyañjanāt.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 327 (Chandaḥsāra rules continuing)
FAQs
It teaches chandas (Sanskrit prosody): how to determine whether a syllable is laghu (short) or guru (long), especially at pāda-end and when followed by saṃyoga (consonant cluster), visarga, anusvāra, or jihvāmūlīya.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves technical śāstra material—here, precise metrical/phonetic rules used for composing and scanning Sanskrit poetry, showing its coverage of literary science (kāvya/chandas) alongside other disciplines.
Correct metrical recitation and composition support accurate preservation and transmission of sacred and puranic speech; mastering chandas is traditionally seen as aiding disciplined study (svādhyāya) and the purity of mantra/śāstra recitation.