Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 19
Varāhādy-avatāra-varṇana
Description of Varāha and Other Incarnations
त्रिःसप्तकृत्वः पृथिवीं निःक्षत्रामकरोद्विभुः कुरुक्षेत्रे पञ्च कुण्डान् कृत्वा सन्तर्प्य वै पितॄन्
triḥsaptakṛtvaḥ pṛthivīṃ niḥkṣatrāmakarodvibhuḥ kurukṣetre pañca kuṇḍān kṛtvā santarpya vai pitṝn
اکیس بار اُس زورآور نے زمین کو کشتریوں سے خالی کر دیا۔ پھر کوروکشیتر میں پانچ کنڈ بنا کر ہوی کی آہوتیوں سے پِتروں کو سیراب و راضی کیا۔
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s frame-dialogue)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Frames Parashurama’s kshatriya-kshaya as a dharmic-ritual sequence: after violent karman, perform pitṛ-tarpaṇa and yajña-prāyaścitta-like acts to restore ritual balance.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Paraśurāma’s Kṣatriya-kṣaya and Pitṛ-tarpaṇa at Kurukṣetra","lookup_keywords":["Paraśurāma","niḥkṣatrā pṛthivī","Kurukṣetra","pañca kuṇḍa","pitṛ-tarpaṇa"],"quick_summary":"The narrative links repeated martial extermination with subsequent ancestral propitiation through five ritual fire-pits at Kurukṣetra, emphasizing ritual restitution after extreme action."}
Weapon Type: Axe (Paraśu)
Concept: Karma requires ritual rebalancing; even dharmic violence is followed by pitṛ-yajña and propitiatory rites.
Application: After grave actions (especially involving harm), undertake prescribed rites—tarpaṇa, homa, śrāddha, dāna—under guidance to restore dharmic order.
Khanda Section: Itihasa-Purana Narratives (Parashurama-Charita / Kshatriya-kshaya episode)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Paraśurāma after the kṣatriya-kṣaya stands at Kurukṣetra beside five blazing homa-kuṇḍas, offering oblations to the pitṛs; the landscape suggests a sacred plain with ritual implements and attendants.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and greens, Paraśurāma with paraśu and matted hair, five square fire-pits in a row, priests performing homa, pitṛs indicated as subtle ancestral figures in the upper register, Kurukṣetra plain, traditional ornamental borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Paraśurāma central with halo and paraśu, five gold-embellished homa-kuṇḍas with stylized flames, ritual vessels (sruk, sruva, kalaśa), pitṛs as small crowned ancestral icons above, rich gold work and jewel tones","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, detailed ritual layout diagram feel: five kuṇḍas, placement of ladles and offerings, Paraśurāma in calm post-rite posture, soft shading, emphasis on yajña procedure and symmetry","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, fine linework, Kurukṣetra as a broad plain with tents and priests, Paraśurāma offering ghee into five fire altars, delicate smoke curls, subdued palette with precise architectural/ritual objects"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अकरोद्विभुः = अकरोत् + विभुः (त् + व → द्व्); त्रिःसप्तकृत्वः अव्ययीभावसमासः; निःक्षत्राम् = निः + क्षत्राम् (उपसर्गपूर्वक-समास/तत्पुरुष).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Parashurama-Charita / Kshatriya-kshaya narrative sequence (surrounding verses in Adhyaya 4); Agni Purana: sections on śrāddha/tarpaṇa and yajña procedures (elsewhere in the encyclopedic chapters)
FAQs
It references Pitṛ-tarpaṇa through a kuṇḍa-based rite: constructing five sacrificial pits (kuṇḍas) at Kurukṣetra and making offerings to satisfy the Pitṛs (ancestral beings).
Alongside epic-historical narration (Parāśurāma’s kṣatriya-kṣaya), it embeds ritual practice—linking sacred geography (Kurukṣetra), yajña infrastructure (multiple kuṇḍas), and ancestral rites—showing how the Purāṇa integrates narrative, dharma, and applied ritual procedure.
Propitiating the Pitṛs through tarpaṇa is presented as a compensatory and purificatory act, aligning violent or weighty deeds with dharmic restitution via ancestral offerings at a highly meritorious tīrtha (Kurukṣetra).