Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 55
Rājanīti (Statecraft): Ṣaḍvidha-bala, Vyūha-vidhāna, and Strategic Warfare
द्विचतुर्दण्ड इत्य् एते ज्ञेया लक्षणतः क्रमात् गोमूत्रिकाहिसञ्चारीशकटो मकरस् तथा
dvicaturdaṇḍa ity ete jñeyā lakṣaṇataḥ kramāt gomūtrikāhisañcārīśakaṭo makaras tathā
علامات کے مطابق ترتیب سے یہ پہچانے جائیں—‘دْوِدَنڈ’ اور ‘چَتُردَنڈ’؛ نیز ‘گوموترِکا’، ‘اہی سنچاری’، ‘شَکَٹ’ اور ‘مَکَر’ نامی ترتیبیں۔
Lord Agni (traditionally instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Alamkara","secondary_vidya":"Natya","practical_application":"Identification of prosodic/metrical or gait-pattern names used in chandas instruction and performance recitation, enabling correct pattern recognition and teaching sequences.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Named chandas/gati patterns: Dvidaṇḍa, Caturdaṇḍa, Gomūtrikā, Ahi-sañcārī, Śakaṭa, Makara","lookup_keywords":["Dvidaṇḍa","Caturdaṇḍa","Gomūtrikā","Ahi-sañcārī","Śakaṭa"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates a set of named patterns to be learned ‘by lakṣaṇa and order’, serving as a mnemonic index for prosody/arrangement types."}
Concept: Knowledge is stabilized by ordered lists (krama) and definitions (lakṣaṇa).
Application: Use the list as a syllabus checkpoint for students of prosody/recitation to ensure coverage and correct identification.
Khanda Section: Chandas & Alaṅkāra-śāstra (Prosody: metrical patterns)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A prosody teacher points to a palm-leaf chart showing six named patterns in sequence—Dvidaṇḍa, Caturdaṇḍa, Gomūtrikā, Ahi-sañcārī, Śakaṭa, Makara—while students clap or mark beats to internalize the rhythm.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, guru and śiṣyas seated, palm-leaf manuscript with pattern names, rhythmic hand gestures, simple stage-like setting, bold outlines and earthy reds/greens","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, ornate classroom-court setting, gold borders, guru holding stylus over palm-leaf, students with tāla hand-gestures, decorative arch framing the lesson","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined lines, instructional chart prominently displayed with geometric path motifs (cow-urine zigzag, snake-crawl curve, cart shape, makara curve), calm scholarly ambience","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, madrasa-like scholarly scene, detailed manuscript folios with diagrams, attentive pupils, subtle textiles, emphasis on ordered list presentation"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इत्य् → इति (यण्-सन्धि/व्यञ्जन-सन्धि); गोमूत्रिकाहिसञ्चारीशकटो → गोमूत्रिका अहिसञ्चारी शकटः
Related Themes: Agni Purana chandas/alaṅkāra passages listing meters and their lakṣaṇas (same khanda, surrounding verses)
FAQs
It teaches chandas-vidyā (technical prosody): how to identify specific named metrical/pattern-forms (Dvi-daṇḍa, Catur-daṇḍa, Gomūtrikā, Ahi-sañcārī, Śakaṭa, Makara) by their defining features and in correct sequence.
By cataloging specialized śāstric terminology from Sanskrit poetic science (chandas), it shows the Agni Purana’s scope beyond mythology—preserving technical classifications used in literary composition, recitation, and formal analysis.
Correct knowledge of chandas supports accurate Vedic/Puranic recitation and disciplined learning; traditionally, such precision is treated as meritorious because it preserves sacred sound-patterns and the integrity of transmitted scripture.