Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 19
Chapter 366 — सामान्यनामलिङ्गानि
Common Noun-Forms and Their Grammatical Genders
आविद्धं कुटिलं भुग्नं वेल्लितं वक्रमित्यपि पाठो ऽयं पुररुक्तिदोषेण दुष्टः चञ्चलं तरलञ्चैव कठोरं जठरं दृढं
āviddhaṃ kuṭilaṃ bhugnaṃ vellitaṃ vakramityapi pāṭho 'yaṃ puraruktidoṣeṇa duṣṭaḥ cañcalaṃ taralañcaiva kaṭhoraṃ jaṭharaṃ dṛḍhaṃ
“Bị giật/đâm”, “cong queo”, “gập”, “lượn sóng”, và “uốn cong”—lối tụng đọc như vậy cũng bị xem là hư hỏng, do lỗi lặp lời (punaḥ-ukti). Cũng vậy, cách phát âm sai là: không ổn định, quá trơn tuột, thô gắt, nặng từ cổ họng, và cứng đờ.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वक्रमित्यपि = वक्रम् + इति + अपि; पाठोऽयम् = पाठः + अयम्; तरलञ्चैव = तरलम् + च + एव; पुररुक्तिदोषेण = पुरा-उक्ति-दोषेण (तत्पुरुष).
FAQs
It lists defective modes of pāṭha (recitation/reading)—crooked, bent, wavering, harsh, overly fluid, rigid, etc.—and flags repetition (punaḥ-ukti) as a specific textual/poetic fault to be avoided for correct chanting and transmission.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves technical norms of Sanskrit literary science—prosody, recitation quality, and doṣa-identification—functioning like a handbook for correct textual performance and editorial discernment.
Correct, non-defective recitation safeguards mantra/śāstra transmission and is treated as a form of purity in speech (vāk-śuddhi); avoiding doṣas prevents dilution of merit and supports disciplined, sattvic worship and study.