Agni Purana
Encyclopedia
The Agni Purana, one of the 18 Mahapuranas
, a genre of Hindu
religious texts, contains descriptions and details of various incarnations (avatar
s) of Vishnu
. It also has details account about Rama
, Krishna
, Prithvi
, and the stars. It has a number of verses dealing with ritual worship, cosmology
and astrology
, history, warfare, sections on grammar
and meter, law, medicine
, and martial arts. Tradition has it that it was originally recited by Agni
to the sage Vasishta.
The text is divided into 383 chapters. The athāgnipurāṇa pariśiṣṭam is an appendix of another six chapters.
The text is medieval (post-Gupta), and has been dated to anywhere between the 8th and the 11th centuries.
in the 1870s (Calcutta : Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1870–1879, 3 volumes; Bibliotheca Indica, 65, 1–3). The entire text extends to slightly below one million characters.
An English translation was published in two volumes by Manmatha Nath Dutt in 1903–04.
s of Vishnu
in detail. Chapters 2–4 deal with the Matsya, the Kurma and the Varaha avataras respectively.
The next seven chapters (5–11) summarise the seven Kandas of the Ramayana
. Chapter 12 summarises Harivamsha. Chapters 13–15 narrate the story of the Mahabharata
.
Chapter 16 describes Buddha
and Kalki
as the avataras of Vishnu
. Chapters 17–20 describe the five essential characteristics of a Purana. Chapters 21–70 consist a discussion between Narada
, Agni
, Hayagriva
, and Bhagavan
. These chapters deal with the religious bathing, construction of a Kunda (sacrificial pit), the Mudra
s (the positions of fingers during worship), the mode of worship of Vasudeva
, Sankarshana, Pradyumna
, and Aniruddha
, consecration of an image, architecture of a temple, iconography of the images, the worship of Salagrama, the rules for the installation of the images and repair of a temple.
The subject of chapter 71 is the worship of Ganesha
. Chapters 72–105 relate to the worship of the Lingam
and the several manifestations of Devi
. These chapters also contain discussions on the method of establishing Agni
(sacrificial fire), Canda
worship, Kapila worship and consecration of a temple. Chapter 106 discusses Vastu related to the cities. Chapter 107 is devoted to the creation of Svayambhuva Manu
. Chapter 108 is the Bhuvana-Kosha
(description of the universe). Chapters 109–116 describe a number of Tirtha
s. Chapter 117 deals with the ancestral rites. Chapters 118–120 describe the Puranic concepts on the geography of India and other parts of the world as well as the Puranic perceptions about the distances between various regions of the world. Chapters 121–149 deal with various aspects of astronomy and astrology
. Chapter 150 deals with the periods of the Manvantara
s and the names of the Manus
.
Chapters 151–167 deal with the duties associated the different varnas. Chapters 168–174 discuss about the expiations for various kinds of sins. Chapter 175–207 describe about the performances of a number of Vrata
s. Chapters 208–217 describe various religious gifts and vows. Chapters 218–248 deal with various aspects of statecraft. Chapters 249–252 discuss in detail Dhanurveda or archery, and weapons associated with it. Chapters 254–258 expound on the Vyavahara
(judicature and law). This part of the text is literally same as the Mitakshara
. The next chapters (259–271) deal with miscellaneous topics regarding the perusal of the Vedas. Chapter 272 deals with the gifts to be made when the Puranas are read. This chapter contains a list of the Puranas and the number of verses each Purana contains. Chapters 273–278 deal with the genealogy of the Puranic dynasties.
Chapters 279–300 deal with the various branches of medicine. Chapters 301–316 deal with the worship of Surya
and various mantra
s (chants), out of which chapters 309–314 deal with mantras for worshipping of the goddess Tvarita. In Chapters 317–326 Ishvara
speaks to Skanda
regarding the worship of Shiva
's gana
s: Vagishvari, Aghora
, Pashupata
, Rudra
, and Gauri
. Chapter 327 instructs on the glorification of establishing a linga in a temple. Chapters 328–335 summarise Pingala
sutras on metrics and an unknown commentary on it. Chapter 336 has rudimentary discussion about Vedic phonetics.
The subject of the next two chapters (337–337) is poetics
and rhetoric
. Chapter 338 contains a list of the different types of Sanskrit drama. Chapters 339–340 deal with the four ritis or styles of displaying sentiments and emotions during acting. Chapters 341–342 expound on the actions and movements of the limbs of an actor and definitions of the dramatic representations. Discussions regarding the various figures of speech are found in chapters 343-45. The definitions found in these chapters are same as those of the Kavyadarsha of Dandin
. The merits and demerits of a composition are discussed in chapters 346–347.
Chapter 348 consists a list of monosyllabic words. The following chapters (349–359) deal with the rules of Sanskrit grammar
, which is an abstract of the Chandra Vyakarana. Chapters 360–367 are basically a lexicon
on the pattern of the Amarakosha
. Chapters 369–370 consist of discussions on human anatomy. Chapter 371 describes various types of Naraka
s. Chapters 372–376 deal with both Raja Yoga
and Hatha Yoga
. The subject of the chapters 377–380 is the philosophy of Vedanta and knowledge of Brahma
. Chapter 381 gives the gist of the Bhagavad Gita
. Chapter 382 is a version of the Yama Gita. Chapter 383's verses glorify the Agni Purana.
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
, a genre of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religious texts, contains descriptions and details of various incarnations (avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
s) of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. It also has details account about Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, Prithvi
Prithvi
Prithvi is the sanskrit name for earth and its essence Prithivi Tattwa, in the form of a mother goddess or godmother. Prithvi is also called Dhra, Dharti, Dhrithri, meaning that which holds everything. As Prithvi Devi, she is one of two wives of Lord Vishnu. His other wife is Lakshmi. Prithvi is...
, and the stars. It has a number of verses dealing with ritual worship, cosmology
Religious cosmology
A Religious cosmology is a way of explaining the origin, the history and the evolution of the universe based on the religious mythology of a specific tradition...
and astrology
Jyotisha
Hindu astrology , also Jyotish or Jyotisha, from Sanskrit , from "light, heavenly body") is the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology...
, history, warfare, sections on grammar
Sanskrit grammar
The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period , culminating in the Pāṇinian grammar of the 4th century BC.-Grammatical tradition:The...
and meter, law, medicine
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
, and martial arts. Tradition has it that it was originally recited by Agni
Agni
Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
to the sage Vasishta.
The text is divided into 383 chapters. The athāgnipurāṇa pariśiṣṭam is an appendix of another six chapters.
The text is medieval (post-Gupta), and has been dated to anywhere between the 8th and the 11th centuries.
Editions and translations
The first printed edition of the text was edited by Rajendralal MitraRajendralal Mitra
Rajendralal Mitra was the first modern Indologist of Indian origin, and was a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance. He was pioneer in scientific study of history and contributed substantially in the field of archaeology. Eminent Historian Professor R.S...
in the 1870s (Calcutta : Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1870–1879, 3 volumes; Bibliotheca Indica, 65, 1–3). The entire text extends to slightly below one million characters.
An English translation was published in two volumes by Manmatha Nath Dutt in 1903–04.
Text
The extant text comprisess 383 chapters. The last chapter of the text gives a list of 50 topics discussed in the text. The following is a brief description of the subjects narrated in the text:Outline
After the customary opening (Chapter 1), the text describes the 10 avatarAvatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
s of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
in detail. Chapters 2–4 deal with the Matsya, the Kurma and the Varaha avataras respectively.
The next seven chapters (5–11) summarise the seven Kandas of the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. Chapter 12 summarises Harivamsha. Chapters 13–15 narrate the story of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
.
Chapter 16 describes Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
and Kalki
Kalki
In Hinduism, Kalki is the tenth and final Maha Avatar of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time...
as the avataras of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
. Chapters 17–20 describe the five essential characteristics of a Purana. Chapters 21–70 consist a discussion between Narada
Narada
Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...
, Agni
Agni
Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
, Hayagriva
Hayagriva
Hayagriva is a horse-headed deity that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism.-Hinduism:...
, and Bhagavan
Bhagavan
Bhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit nt-stem literally means "possessing fortune, blessed, prosperous" , and hence "illustrious, divine, venerable, holy", etc.In some traditions of Hinduism it is used to...
. These chapters deal with the religious bathing, construction of a Kunda (sacrificial pit), the Mudra
Mudra
A mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
s (the positions of fingers during worship), the mode of worship of Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
, Sankarshana, Pradyumna
Pradyumna
Pradyumna is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is one in 24 Keshava Namas , praised in all pujas. It is also the only name in Sanskrit with all the 3 letters joint...
, and Aniruddha
Aniruddha
Aniruddha , meaning "uncontrolled" or "without obstacles", was the son of Pradyumna and the grandson of Krishna. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he may be a jana avatar. The four important Vishnu extensions are Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and...
, consecration of an image, architecture of a temple, iconography of the images, the worship of Salagrama, the rules for the installation of the images and repair of a temple.
The subject of chapter 71 is the worship of Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
. Chapters 72–105 relate to the worship of the Lingam
Lingam
The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples....
and the several manifestations of Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
. These chapters also contain discussions on the method of establishing Agni
Agni
Agni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
(sacrificial fire), Canda
Canda
Canda is a comune in the Province of Rovigo in the Italian region Veneto, located about 80 km southwest of Venice and about 20 km west of Rovigo...
worship, Kapila worship and consecration of a temple. Chapter 106 discusses Vastu related to the cities. Chapter 107 is devoted to the creation of Svayambhuva Manu
Manu (Hinduism)
In various Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first brahman king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata"...
. Chapter 108 is the Bhuvana-Kosha
Kosha
A Kosha , usually rendered "sheath", one of five coverings of the Atman, or Self according to Vedantic philosophy. They are often visualised like the layers of an onion. Belling states:...
(description of the universe). Chapters 109–116 describe a number of Tirtha
Tirtha
In Jainism, a tīrtha |ford]], a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha...
s. Chapter 117 deals with the ancestral rites. Chapters 118–120 describe the Puranic concepts on the geography of India and other parts of the world as well as the Puranic perceptions about the distances between various regions of the world. Chapters 121–149 deal with various aspects of astronomy and astrology
Jyotisha
Hindu astrology , also Jyotish or Jyotisha, from Sanskrit , from "light, heavenly body") is the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology...
. Chapter 150 deals with the periods of the Manvantara
Manvantara
Manvantara or Manuvantara , or age of a Manu , the Hindu progenitor of mankind, is an astronomical period of time measurement. Manvantara is a Sanskrit sandhi, a combination of words manu and antara, manu-antara or manvantara, literally meaning the duration of a Manu, or his life span .Each...
s and the names of the Manus
Manu (Hinduism)
In various Hindu traditions, Manu is a title accorded to the progenitor of mankind, and also the very first brahman king to rule this earth, who saved mankind from the universal flood. He was absolutely honest which was why he was initially known as "Satyavrata"...
.
Chapters 151–167 deal with the duties associated the different varnas. Chapters 168–174 discuss about the expiations for various kinds of sins. Chapter 175–207 describe about the performances of a number of Vrata
Vrata
In the context of Hinduism and Hindu mythology, the term vrata denotes a religious practice to carry out certain obligations with a view to achieve divine blessing for fulfillment of one or several desires. Etymologically, vrata, a Sanskrit word , means to vow or to promise...
s. Chapters 208–217 describe various religious gifts and vows. Chapters 218–248 deal with various aspects of statecraft. Chapters 249–252 discuss in detail Dhanurveda or archery, and weapons associated with it. Chapters 254–258 expound on the Vyavahara
Vyavahara
Vyavahāra is an important concept of Hindu law denoting legal procedure. Kane defines it as follows: "When the ramifications of right conduct, that are together called dharma and that can be established with efforts have been violated, the dispute which springs from what is sought to be proved ,...
(judicature and law). This part of the text is literally same as the Mitakshara
Mitakshara
The ' is a on the Yajnavalkya Smriti best known for its theory of "inheritance by birth." It was written by Vijñāneśvara, a scholar in the Western Chalukya court in the late eleventh and early twelfth century. Along with the Dāyabhāga, it was considered one of the main authorities on Hindu Law...
. The next chapters (259–271) deal with miscellaneous topics regarding the perusal of the Vedas. Chapter 272 deals with the gifts to be made when the Puranas are read. This chapter contains a list of the Puranas and the number of verses each Purana contains. Chapters 273–278 deal with the genealogy of the Puranic dynasties.
Chapters 279–300 deal with the various branches of medicine. Chapters 301–316 deal with the worship of Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
and various mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s (chants), out of which chapters 309–314 deal with mantras for worshipping of the goddess Tvarita. In Chapters 317–326 Ishvara
Ishvara
Ishvara is a philosophical concept in Hinduism, meaning controller or the Supreme controller in a theistic school of thought or the Supreme Being, or as an Ishta-deva of monistic thought.-Etymology:...
speaks to Skanda
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
regarding the worship of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
's gana
Gana
The word ' , in Sanskrit, means "flock, troop, multitude, number, tribe, series, class" . It can also be used to refer to a "body of attendants" and can refer to "a company, any assemblage or association of men formed for the attainment of the same aims".In Hinduism, the s are attendants of Shiva...
s: Vagishvari, Aghora
Bhairava
Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...
, Pashupata
Pashupata
The Pashupatastra , in Hindu mythology, is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Shiva, discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or a bow. Never to be used against lesser enemies or by lesser warriors, the Pashupatastra is capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all beings...
, Rudra
Rudra
' is a Rigvedic God, associated with wind or storm, and the hunt. The name has been translated as "The Roarer", or "The Howler"....
, and Gauri
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
. Chapter 327 instructs on the glorification of establishing a linga in a temple. Chapters 328–335 summarise Pingala
Pingala
Pingala is the traditional name of the author of the ' , the earliest known Sanskrit treatise on prosody.Nothing is known about Piṅgala himself...
sutras on metrics and an unknown commentary on it. Chapter 336 has rudimentary discussion about Vedic phonetics.
The subject of the next two chapters (337–337) is poetics
Poetics
Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest-surviving work of dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory...
and rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. Chapter 338 contains a list of the different types of Sanskrit drama. Chapters 339–340 deal with the four ritis or styles of displaying sentiments and emotions during acting. Chapters 341–342 expound on the actions and movements of the limbs of an actor and definitions of the dramatic representations. Discussions regarding the various figures of speech are found in chapters 343-45. The definitions found in these chapters are same as those of the Kavyadarsha of Dandin
Dandin
Dandin can refer to:* Daṇḍin, 6th-7th century Sanskrit writer* The Dandin Group, a wireless internet thinktank* Dandin the Sword Carrier, a character appearing in Mariel of Redwall and The Bellmaker, two books from the fictional Redwall series by Brian Jacques....
. The merits and demerits of a composition are discussed in chapters 346–347.
Chapter 348 consists a list of monosyllabic words. The following chapters (349–359) deal with the rules of Sanskrit grammar
Sanskrit grammar
The grammar of the Sanskrit language has a complex verbal system, rich nominal declension, and extensive use of compound nouns. It was studied and codified by Sanskrit grammarians from the later Vedic period , culminating in the Pāṇinian grammar of the 4th century BC.-Grammatical tradition:The...
, which is an abstract of the Chandra Vyakarana. Chapters 360–367 are basically a lexicon
Lexicon
In linguistics, the lexicon of a language is its vocabulary, including its words and expressions. A lexicon is also a synonym of the word thesaurus. More formally, it is a language's inventory of lexemes. Coined in English 1603, the word "lexicon" derives from the Greek "λεξικόν" , neut...
on the pattern of the Amarakosha
Amarakosha
The Amarakosha from amara "immortal" and kosha "treasure, casket, pail, collection, dictionary", also Namalinganushasana from nama-linga-anu-shasana "instruction concerning nouns and gender") is a thesaurus of Sanskrit written by the Jain or Buddhist scholar Amarasimha...
. Chapters 369–370 consist of discussions on human anatomy. Chapter 371 describes various types of Naraka
Naraka
Naraka is the Sanskrit word for the underworld; literally, of man. According to Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism, Naraka is a place of torment, or Hell...
s. Chapters 372–376 deal with both Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...
and Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
. The subject of the chapters 377–380 is the philosophy of Vedanta and knowledge of Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
. Chapter 381 gives the gist of the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
. Chapter 382 is a version of the Yama Gita. Chapter 383's verses glorify the Agni Purana.