Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 2
Chapter 246 — वास्तुलक्षणम्
Characteristics of Building-sites / Vāstu
घृतरक्तान्नमद्यानां गन्धाढ्या वसतश् च भूः मधुरा च कषाया च अम्लाद्युपरसा क्रमात्
ghṛtaraktānnamadyānāṃ gandhāḍhyā vasataś ca bhūḥ madhurā ca kaṣāyā ca amlādyuparasā kramāt
گھی، خون، پکا ہوا کھانا اور مے—یہ سب خوشبو سے بھرپور ہیں؛ اور زمین بھی اپنی فطرت کے سبب خوشبو رکھنے والی ہے۔ اُپرَس (ثانوی ذائقے) ترش وغیرہ سے ترتیب وار پیدا ہوتے ہیں؛ اور میٹھا اور کسیلا ذائقہ بھی رَسوں میں شامل ہے۔
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Understanding dravya-guṇa classification: associating substances with gandha (smell) and organizing uparasa (secondary tastes) for dietetics and pharmacology.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Gandha-yukta dravyas and uparasa-krama","lookup_keywords":["dravya-guṇa","gandha","uparasa","rasa","ghṛta-rakta-madya"],"quick_summary":"Lists fragrance-rich substances (ghee, blood, cooked food, alcohol) and notes earth as inherently smell-bearing; then states an ordered progression of secondary tastes beginning with sour, alongside mention of sweet and astringent among tastes."}
Concept: Knowledge of guṇas through the senses (rasa-gandha) as a basis for applied wellbeing.
Application: Apply sensory diagnostics (taste/smell) to choose compatible foods, anupānas, and drug vehicles.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda (Dravya-guṇa: Rasādaya—taste and secondary tastes)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teaching scene illustrating sensory qualities: vessels of ghee, blood, cooked food, and wine emitting visible fragrance lines; a mound of earth indicating inherent smell; a chart of tastes/secondary tastes in order.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: sage-physician instructs students; stylized pots labeled by form (ghṛta, madya) with aromatic swirls; earth mound; rasa-wheel motif in traditional palette and bold contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Ayurvedic teacher with gold halo; ornate bowls of ghṛta and food, a wine cup, and a symbolic earth element; gold leaf highlights on vessels; decorative rasa-chart border.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clean didactic composition—tabletop with four substances and a taste-order diagram; fine lines, soft colors, emphasis on clarity and classification.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: apothecary/learned gathering; detailed glass and metal vessels, steam/aroma curls; naturalistic earth texture; marginal notes implied as a taste sequence."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ghṛtaraktānnamadyānāṃ → ghṛta-rakta-anna-madyānām; gandhāḍhyā → gandha-āḍhyā; amlādyuparasā → amla-ādi-uparasā.
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa: Ayurveda sections on rasa, guṇa, vīrya, vipāka and dravya classification (dravya-guṇa context)
FAQs
Ayurvedic dravya-guṇa knowledge: it classifies substances by sensory quality (gandha/fragrance) and outlines the ordered scheme of tastes and secondary tastes (rasa and uparasa) used for identifying and applying drugs/diet.
It shows the Purana functioning as a compendium of practical sciences by embedding Ayurvedic pharmacological taxonomy—taste, smell, and sub-tastes—within a Purāṇic framework, alongside its better-known ritual and theological material.
By promoting right discernment of diet and medicinal substances through rasa-guṇa knowledge, it supports bodily purity and balanced living (sattva and health), which traditional dharma texts treat as foundational for sustained ritual practice and meritorious conduct.