History of Sanskrit Poetics c5.s1.2

Language: English

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The अग्निपुराण has been frequently printed in India (in the B. I. series, Ānandāśrama series and at the Veṅkaṭeśvara Press in Bombay). Chapters 336–346 of the B. I. edition deal with subjects falling within the province of Poetics. Chapters 336–346 of the B. I. edition correspond to chapters 337–347 of the Ānan. ed. of the Agnipurāṇa; unfortunately, the readings of the Agnipurāṇa presented in the Ānan. ed. are much worse than those in the B. I. ed. In this work the B. I. text has been followed. The edition brought out by the Veṅkaṭeśvara Press, Bombay, follows the Ānan. ed. of the Agnipurāṇa in the numbering of the chapters. It may be noted that, according to the Matsyapurāṇa 35. 28–30 and Skandapurāṇa VII (Prabhāsakhaṇḍa) 1. 2. 47–50 (यत्तदीशानकल्पस्य वृत्तान्तमधिकृत्य च । वसिष्ठायाग्निना प्रोक्तमाग्नेयं तत्प्रचक्षते ॥...तच्च षोडशसाहस्रं सर्वक्रतुफलप्रदम् ॥), the Agni is 16000 verses in extent, deals with the incidents of Īśānakalpa and is narrated to Vasiṣṭha by Agni. The extant Agni states (in chap. 271. 11) that its extent is 12000 ślokas and that it expounds all the vidyās. In the first chapter Vasiṣṭha requests Agni (verse 12) to instruct him in the essence of vidyās, by knowing which a man may become omniscient. The extant Agnipurāṇa has about 11500 verses (and not 16000). In the last chapter (382.

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51–64) it states that all vidyās have been dealt with and it enumerates the several subjects treated of such as the avatāras, Gītā, Rāmāyaṇa, Bhārata, Harivaṃśa, the Āgamas, āśauca, prāyaścitta, rājadharma, vyavahāra, vratas & c. Chapters 122–148 contain a summary of युद्धजयार्णव. We have hardly any means for judging which parts were in the original Agnipurāṇa and which were interpolated later. The commentary of Maheśvara and that on Vidyābhūṣaṇa quoted above apparently make no distinction between Agnipurāṇa and Vahnipurāṇa. But there is a Vahnipurāṇa that is different from the extant Agnipurāṇa as Eggeling's Catalogue of India Office Sanskrit mss. part 6 pp. 1294 ff clearly shows. Vide Prof. Hazra's papers ‘On present Agni’ in I. H. Q. Vol. XII pp. 683–691, ‘Studies in genuine Āgneya alias Vahnipurāṇa’ in ‘Our Heritage’ vol. I part 2 pp. 209–245, and vol. II part 1 pp. 70–109 and ‘Discovery of genuine Āgneyapurāṇa’ in JOI (Baroda) vol. V (1956) pp. 411–416. Most of the passages quoted in the दानसागर and अद्भुतसागर of बल्लालसेन (3rd quarter of 12th century A. D.) from the Agnipurāṇa are not found in the present Agnipurāṇa, and in many extracts the interlocutors are Vasiṣṭha and king Ambariṣa (and not Agni and Vasiṣṭha as in the current Agni). It appears that the old Agnipurāṇa was recast and then it assumed the present form. Vide J. O. R., Madras, Vol. XII p. 129 at pp. 134-135 (for the paper ‘Purāṇas known to Ballālasena’). Chapter 336(=337 of Ānan.

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ed) defines a Kāvya, classifies Kāvyas into संस्कृत and प्राकृत (of three sorts) into गद्य, पद्य and मिश्र; subdivides these and defines in particular कथा, आख्यायिका, महाकाव्य. Chapter 337 deals with topics of dramaturgy (such as twelve kinds of dramas, उपरूपकs, प्रस्तावना, the five अर्थप्रकृतिs, the five सन्धिs). Chapter 338 speaks of the rasas together with the स्थायिभावs, अनुभावs, व्यभिचारिभावs, the आलम्बन-विभाव and उद्दीपनविभाव, the various kinds of heroes and their companions and the heroines (नायिका), the eight qualities of heroes and the twelve vibhāvas of heroines. Chapter 339 speaks of the four ritis, पाञ्चाली, गौडी, वैदर्भी and लाटी and the four वृत्तिs, भारती, सात्त्वती, कैशिकी (कैशिकी?) and आरभटी. Chapter 340 contains a description of the various natural movements of the principal limbs (head, hands, feet &c.) and other parts of the body (eyebrows &c.) in dancing. Chapter 341 dilates upon the four kinds of अभिनय (acting), सात्त्विक, वाचिक, आङ्गिक and आहार्य. Chapter 342 defines and divides शब्दालङ्कारs, viz. अनुप्रास, यमक (of ten kinds), चित्र (seven varieties), 16 kinds of प्रहेलिकाs, bandhas called गोमूत्रिका, सर्वतोभद्र &c. Chap. 343 deals with अर्थालङ्कारs (such as उपमा, रूपक सहोक्ति &c, their definitions and sub-divisions). Chap. 344 is spoken of as dealing with शब्दार्थालङ्कारs, but therein are included such figures as आक्षेप, समासोक्ति, पर्यायोक्त. Chapters 345 and 346 dwell respectively upon the गुणs and दोषs of काव्य.

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There are in all 362 verses in these chapters.