Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 28
Utpāta-śānti
Pacification of Portents
प्रदोषे कुक्कुटो वासे शिवा चार्कोदये भवेत् गृहङ्कपोतः प्रविशेत् क्रव्याहा मूर्ध्नि लीयते
pradoṣe kukkuṭo vāse śivā cārkodaye bhavet gṛhaṅkapotaḥ praviśet kravyāhā mūrdhni līyate
اگر غروب کے وقت گھر میں مرغ بانگ دے، یا طلوعِ آفتاب پر گیدڑ ہواں ہواں کرے تو یہ بدشگون ہے۔ اگر کبوتر گھر میں داخل ہو جائے، یا گوشت خور پرندہ سر پر آ بیٹھے، تو یہ بھی نحوست کی علامت ہے۔
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Jyotisha","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Household risk-avoidance: recognize specific time-bound animal/bird behaviors (dusk/dawn intrusions) as inauspicious portents prompting caution and protective rites.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Gṛha-utpāta: kṛkavāku/pradoṣa, śivā/arkodaya, kapota-praveśa, kravyādha-śirasi","lookup_keywords":["pradoṣa-kukkuṭa","arkodaya-śivā","kapota-praveśa","kravyād","gṛha-utpāta"],"quick_summary":"A cock crowing at dusk indoors, a jackal howling at sunrise, a pigeon entering the house, or a flesh-eating bird alighting on one’s head are treated as inauspicious household portents. The practical response is heightened caution and remedial śānti."}
Concept: Liminal-time sensitivity (sandhyā/pradoṣa/arkodaya) in omen interpretation; anomalies at thresholds are meaningful.
Application: Avoid risky travel/transactions immediately after such signs; perform household śānti, increase vigilance, and attend to safety.
Khanda Section: Nimitta-shastra (Shakuna & Utpata Lakshana) — Omens and portents
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Home/Settlement
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A house at dusk with a cock crowing indoors; at sunrise a jackal howls outside; a pigeon flies into the room; a carrion bird perches on a person’s head as onlookers recoil.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: split-time composition—left pradoṣa interior with cock, right sunrise with jackal; central house with pigeon entering; stylized kravyād bird perched, expressive faces, ominous reds/browns.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate domestic interior with gold accents; symbolic depiction of dusk and dawn; pigeon mid-flight; dramatic kravyād bird; protective lamps and ritual vessels hinting at śānti.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clean illustrative panels labeled pradoṣa/arkodaya; each omen shown distinctly; instructional, calm linework despite ominous content.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed courtyard and interior, realistic birds/animals, nuanced lighting for dusk and dawn, figures reacting with restrained alarm."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चार्कोदये = च + अर्कोदये (स्वर-सन्धिः: अ + अ → आ). गृहङ्कपोतः = गृह + अङ्क + कपोतः (गृह + अङ्क → गृहाङ्क; लेखने 'गृहङ्क').
Related Themes: Agni Purana—Nimitta/Śakuna catalogues of gṛha-utpāta; Agni Purana—Śānti/prāyaścitta style remedies in adjacent material
FAQs
It teaches Nimitta-Śāstra (Śakuna-vidyā): how specific animal behaviors at particular times (dusk/sunrise) and locations (inside the house/on the head) are read as omens, typically warning of misfortune and prompting caution or remedial rites.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana compiles practical knowledge systems; here it preserves a concise rule-set from omen-science used in daily life—time-based and place-based interpretations of signs—showing its coverage of Jyotiṣa-related applied disciplines.
Such omens are treated as signals of impending adversity arising from unseen causes (daiva/karmic ripening); recognizing them encourages restraint, vigilance, and performance of pacificatory actions (śānti) to reduce harm.