Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 20
Chapter 39 — भूपरिग्रहविधानम्
Bhū-parigraha-vidhāna: Procedure for Acquiring and Ritually Securing Land
तैर् अष्टभिस्तु बालाग्रं लिख्या तैर् अष्टभिर्मता ताभिर्यूकाष्टभिः ख्याता ताश्चाष्टौ यवमध्यमः
tair aṣṭabhistu bālāgraṃ likhyā tair aṣṭabhirmatā tābhiryūkāṣṭabhiḥ khyātā tāścāṣṭau yavamadhyamaḥ
其中八个（单位）构成一根发梢之尖（bālāgra）；再以八个发梢为一虱（yūkā）。八个此类虱单位，称为中等一粒大麦（yavamadhyama）。
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Provides the traditional ladder of minute measures (hair-tip, louse, barley-grain) used to standardize aṅgula/hasta and thereby iconometry, architecture, and craft measurement.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Sūkṣma-māna ladder: bālāgra → yūkā → yavamadhyama","lookup_keywords":["bālāgra","yūkā","yava","māna","aṅgula"],"quick_summary":"Gives stepwise conversions among subtle units: eight of the prior unit make the next (hair-tip, louse, then medium barley-grain), grounding later aṅgula definitions."}
Concept: Conventional standards translate natural small objects into reproducible measures.
Application: When teaching or applying śilpa/vāstu māna, cite these conversions to justify the yava-based aṅgula.
Khanda Section: Chandas / Māna-paribhāṣā (Prosody and traditional measures)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An instructional sequence: eight tiny units combine into a hair-tip measure; eight hair-tips form a louse unit; eight louse units form a medium barley-grain, shown as progressively larger icons with arrows and ‘×8’ markers.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural didactic frieze: stylized hair-tip, louse, barley-grain icons in a row, arrows and ‘aṣṭa’ markers, warm palette, temple-schoolboard feel","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore panel with gold highlights: three medallions labeled bālāgra, yūkā, yavamadhyama, each connected by gold arrows marked ‘8’, ornate border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore instructional illustration: clean line drawings of hair-tip, louse, barley grain, with numeric ‘8’ conversions, clear Sanskrit labels, minimal background","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature marginalia: delicate naturalistic barley grain and tiny insect, calligraphic notes showing eightfold steps, fine border decoration"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"fast","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अष्टभिस्तु = अष्टभिः + तु; अष्टभिर्मता = अष्टभिः + मता; ताभिर्यूकाष्टभिः = ताभिः + यूका-अष्टभिः; ताश्चाष्टौ = ताः + च + अष्टौ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 39.19-39.21 (continuous māna chain culminating in aṅgula/kara/hasta)
FAQs
It teaches a traditional chain of minute measurement-units—relating likhyā, hair-tip (bālāgra), louse (yūkā), and the standard barley measure (yava)—used in śāstric calculations and precise technical descriptions.
By preserving standardized metrological definitions, it functions like a technical handbook—supporting diverse fields (ritual construction, medicine, poetics/prosody, and crafts) that require agreed-upon measures.
Its value is primarily practical: accurate measures prevent error in śāstric practice (rites, constructions, prescriptions), aligning action with rule (vidhi) and thereby supporting correct dharmic performance.