Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 16
Somavaṁśa-varṇanam
Description of the Lunar Dynasty
आयुषो नहुषः पुत्रो वृद्धशर्मा रजिस् तथा दर्भो विपाप्मा पञ्चाग्न्यं रजेः पुत्रशतं ह्य् अभूत्
āyuṣo nahuṣaḥ putro vṛddhaśarmā rajis tathā darbho vipāpmā pañcāgnyaṃ rajeḥ putraśataṃ hy abhūt
Mula kay Āyu ay sumibol si Nahuṣa. Ang kaniyang mga anak na lalaki ay sina Vṛddhaśarmā, Raji, Darbha, Vipāpmā, at Pañcāgnya. At mula kay Raji, tunay ngang nagkaroon ng sandaang anak na lalaki.
Lord Agni (narrating Purāṇic genealogy)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Use as a dynastic index for Itihasa-Purana study, ritual sankalpa lineage recitations, and contextualizing later royal-dharma narratives.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Āyu–Nahuṣa Line: Sons of Nahuṣa and Raji’s Hundred Sons","lookup_keywords":["Āyu","Nahuṣa","Raji","Vṛddhaśarmā","genealogy"],"quick_summary":"Records the descent from Āyu to Nahuṣa and enumerates Nahuṣa’s sons, noting Raji’s prolific line of a hundred sons—useful for mapping the Lunar dynasty branches."}
Concept: Vaṃśa-smṛti (remembering lineage) as a Purāṇic tool for preserving dharma and social memory.
Application: Employ genealogical remembrance to situate vows, gifts, and royal duties within inherited responsibility (kula-dharma).
Khanda Section: Vamsha-Anucharita (Genealogies of Kings and Sages)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A genealogical tableau: Āyu begetting Nahuṣa; Nahuṣa seated as patriarch with sons Vṛddhaśarmā, Raji, Darbha, Vipāpmā, Pañcāgnya; behind Raji a large group symbolizing a hundred sons.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, flat vibrant colors, ornate jewelry; central patriarch Nahuṣa with five named sons in labeled gestures, and a dense background crowd indicating ‘hundred sons’; palm-leaf manuscript aesthetic border.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf halos; Nahuṣa enthroned, sons arranged symmetrically; Raji shown with a golden aura and a clustered procession of sons; rich textiles and temple-arch frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, delicate linework; family tree composition with scroll-like labels for each son; subdued palette, instructional genealogical diagram feel.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly genealogy scene; Nahuṣa in durbar, sons presented; background filled with many youthful princes to signify a hundred sons; fine architectural pavilion and calligraphic captions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ह्य् अभूत् → हि + अभूत्; रजिस् तथा → रजिः तथा (visarga sandhi in recitation).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Vamsha-anucharita sections on Soma-vaṃśa/Yayāti line; Agni Purana: Rajadharma narratives connected to Indra–Raji episode
FAQs
No ritual procedure is taught here; the verse transmits vamśa-vidyā—dynastic genealogy—by listing Nahuṣa’s sons and noting that Raji fathered a hundred sons.
By preserving structured lineage data (names, succession, and prolific progeny), it functions like a historical-genealogical register, one of the Agni Purana’s many knowledge domains alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts.
Genealogical remembrance supports dharma by anchoring kings and traditions in recognized lineages; it reinforces continuity of righteous rule and the sacred memory (smṛti) of ancestral lines.