Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 20
Discrimination of the Qualities of Poetry (Kāvya-guṇa-viveka) — Closing Verse/Colophon Transition
मला इति क , ज च कष्टपादादर्थान्तरक्रमादिति ट प्रयुक्तचरशब्देनेति ज , ञ च अभावेपि तयोरन्तर्व्यवधानास्त्रिधैव सा अन्तरा पदवाक्याभ्यां प्रतिभेदं पुनर्द्विधा
malā iti ka , ja ca kaṣṭapādādarthāntarakramāditi ṭa prayuktacaraśabdeneti ja , ña ca abhāvepi tayorantarvyavadhānāstridhaiva sā antarā padavākyābhyāṃ pratibhedaṃ punardvidhā
‘ملا’—یہ ک اور ج کے نزدیک ہے؛ اور ‘کَشٹ’—کَشٹ پاد سے یا معنی و ترتیب کے بدلنے سے پیدا ہوتا ہے—یہ ٹ کا قول ہے۔ نیز ‘پریُکت چَر شبد’—یہ ج اور ں کے نزدیک ہے۔ ان اسباب کے نہ ہونے پر بھی اندرونی فاصلہ (اَنتَروِیَوَधान) تین طرح کا ہے؛ اور یہی ‘اَنتَرا’ لفظوں کے درمیان یا جملوں کے درمیان ہونے کے اعتبار سے پھر دو قسم ہے۔
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha) — within the Agni Purana’s didactic compendium style
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Alamkara","practical_application":"Text-critical and pedagogical mapping of variant scholastic opinions (Ka/Ja/Ṭa/Ña) on definitions (malā, kaṣṭa, prayukta-cara-śabda) and a precise taxonomy of internal separation (antar-vyavadhāna) by type and locus (between words vs between sentences).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Antar-vyavadhāna taxonomy and scholastic variants","lookup_keywords":["antar-vyavadhāna","antarā","malā-doṣa","kaṣṭa-pāda","pada-vākya-bheda"],"quick_summary":"Authorities differ on certain labels and derivations, but internal separation is systematized as threefold, and ‘antarā’ is further divided by whether the separation occurs at the word-level or sentence-level—useful for pinpointing where coherence breaks."}
Alamkara Type: Doṣa (Vyavadhāna / Antarā) with scholastic bheda
Concept: Knowledge is refined by classification and by recording ācārya-variant readings; analytical granularity (pada vs vākya) improves diagnosis.
Application: When a passage feels disjointed, decide whether the break is within a word-chain (pada-level) or across clauses/sentences (vākya-level), then apply the relevant subtype of antar-vyavadhāna to guide reordering or emendation.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra (Sanskrit Grammar & Poetics: Sandhi/Varna-vicara)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scholastic scene: multiple named authorities’ opinions are written in the margins (Ka, Ja, Ṭa, Ña). A central chart shows antar-vyavadhāna as threefold, then a split into pada-level vs vākya-level ‘antarā’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple-school setting with palm-leaf bundles, marginalia-like labels Ka/Ja/Ṭa/Ña stylized, central threefold diagram as lotus with three petals, then two sub-petals for pada/vākya.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embossed taxonomy chart framed like a shrine panel, guru seated with four small medallions labeled Ka Ja Ṭa Ña, rich colors and ornamental borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, crisp instructional plate: hierarchical tree (3-fold then 2-fold), annotations of variant authorities, fine linework and readable Devanagari, calm classroom scene.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, learned assembly debating, one scholar pointing to a folio with a branching diagram, margins filled with abbreviated authority names, intricate carpet and architectural backdrop."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: arthāntarakramāditi: अर्थान्तरक्रमात् + इति; prayuktacaraśabdeneti: प्रयुक्तचरशब्देन + इति; abhāvepi: अभावे + अपि; tayorantarvyavadhānāḥ: तयोः + अन्तर् + व्यवधानाः; padavākyābhyām: पद + वाक्याभ्याम् (dvandva). Manuscript markers (ka, ja, ṭa, ña) treated as indeclinable sigla.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 346.16 (kaṣṭa-pāda and arthāntara as causes); Agni Purana 346.19 (vyavadhāna as a cause of vyasta-sambandha)
FAQs
It teaches a technical classification used in Sanskrit linguistic analysis: ‘antarā’ (internal interval/juncture) and ‘antar-vyavadhāna’ (internal separation), including its threefold nature and the twofold subdivision by word-level (pada) and sentence-level (vākya) contexts.
Beyond ritual and theology, the Agni Purana preserves compact rules from śāstric disciplines like grammar and poetics—here, a specialized taxonomy of linguistic/junctural phenomena—showing it functions as a broad knowledge compendium.
Its value is primarily śāstric and educational: correct understanding of words, meanings, and their divisions supports accurate recitation, interpretation, and transmission of sacred texts—considered meritorious through preserving and applying right knowledge (vidyā).