Agni Purana

तन्वी भनतसाभोभो लयो वाणसुरार्क्ककाः । क्रौञ्चपदा भमतता नौ नौ वाण्शराष्टतः ।। ३३४.

Tanvī, Bhanatasābhobho, Laya, Vāṇasurārkkakāḥ, Krauñcapadā, Bhamatatā, Nau, Nau, and Vāṇśarāṣṭataḥ are mentioned.

भुजङ्गविजृम्भितं ममतना ननवासनौ । गष्टेशमुनिभिश्छेदो ह्युहाराख्यमीदृशम् ।। ३३४.

Bhujaṅgavijṛmbhita, Mamatanā, Nanavāsanau, and Gaṣṭeśamuni are described; the division by sages is called Uhārā.

मननानतानः सो गगौ ग्रहरसो रसात् । नौ सप्तरोदण्डदः स्याच्चण्डवृष्टिप्रघातकं ।। ३३४.

Mananānatāna, So, Gagau, Graharaso, and Rasāt are included; Nau, Saptarodaṇḍada, and Caṇḍavṛṣṭipraghātaka are also mentioned.

रेफवृद्ध्या णणवा स्युर्व्यालजीमूतमुख्यकाः । शेषे वै प्रचिता ज्ञेया गाथाप्रस्तार उच्यते ।। ३३४.

With the increase of the letter 'repha', ṇaṇavā are the principal among Vyālajīmūta; the rest are to be known as Pracitā, called the Gāthāprastāra.

अग्निरुवाच छन्दोऽत्र सिद्धं गाथा स्यात् पादे सर्व्वगुरौ तथा । प्रस्तार आद्यगाथोनः परतुल्योऽथ पूर्व्वगः ।। ३३५.

Agni said: Here, the meter is established; Gāthā occurs in a pāda with all heavy syllables; the Prastāra is the first Gāthā, and the subsequent ones are equal or prior.

नष्टमध्ये समेऽङ्कोनः समेऽर्द्ध विषमे गुरुः । प्रतिलोमगुणं नाद्यं द्विरुद्दिष्टग एकनुत् ।। ३३५.

In the middle, a lost one is equal-angled; at the half, in the uneven, it is heavy; the contrary quality is not first, nor is it twice stated, nor once omitted.

सङ्‌ख्याद्विरर्द्धे रूपे तु शून्यं शून्ये द्विरीरितं । तावदर्द्धे तद्‌गुणितं द्वि द्‌व्यूनञ्च तदन्ततः ।। ३३५.

When the number is doubled at the half, the form is zero; in zero, it is twice pronounced; so much at the half, that multiplied, and two less than two at the end.

परे पूर्णं परे पूर्णं मेरुप्रस्तारतो भवेत् । नगसंख्या वृत्तसंख्या चाध्वाङ्गुलमधोद्‌र्धतः ।। ३३५.

At the end, it is complete; at the end, it is complete, as from the Meru arrangement; the number of peaks and the number of circles are measured above and below by finger-breadths.

सङ्‌ख्यैव द्विगुणैकोना छन्दः सारोऽथमीरितः ।। ३३५.

The meter's essence is declared to be the number itself, doubled and increased by one.

अग्निरुवाच वक्ष्ये शिक्षान्त्रिषष्टिः स्युर्वर्णा वा चतुराधिकाः । स्वरा विंशतिरेकश्च स्पर्शानां पञ्चविंशतिः ।। ३३६.

Agni said: I shall explain—there are sixty-three lessons, or the letters are four more; there are twenty-one vowels, and twenty-five consonants.

यादयश्च स्मृता ह्यष्टौ चत्वारश्च समाः स्मृताः । अनुस्वारो विसर्गश्च ᳲ क ᳲ पौ चापि परान्वितौ ।। ३३६.

There are eight semi-vowels remembered, and four are called equal; anusvāra and visarga, and the 'ka' and 'pa' with a mark at the end.

दुष्पृष्ठश्चेति विज्ञेया लृकारः प्लुत एव च । रङ्गश्च खे अरं प्रोक्तं हकारः पञ्चमैर्युतः ।। ३३६.

The difficult-to-touch is to be known, as well as the letter 'lṛ' and the pluta (prolonged vowel); 'raṅga' is said to be in the sky, and the letter 'ha' is joined with the five.

अन्तस्थाभिः समायुक्त औरस्यः कण्ठ्य एव सः । आत्मबुद्ध्या समेसार्थं मनो युंक्ते विवक्षया ।। ३३६.

Joined with the semi-vowels, it is labial, and that is indeed guttural; by one's own understanding, for the meaning of equality, the mind is engaged with intention.

मनः कायाग्निमाहन्ति स प्रेरयति मारुतम् । मारुतस्तूरसि चरन् मन्त्रं जनयति स्वरं ।। ३३६.

The mind strikes the bodily fire, and that impels the wind; the wind, moving in the chest, produces the sound of the mantra.

प्रातः सवनयोगस्तु छन्दो गायत्रमाश्रितम् । कण्ठे माध्यन्दिनयुतं मध्यमन्त्रेषु भानुगम् ।। ३३६.

In the morning, with the Savanayoga, the meter Gāyatrī is adopted; at midday, joined at the throat, in the middle mantras, it follows the sun.

तारन्तार्त्तीयसवनं शीर्षण्यं जागतानुगम् । सोदीर्णो मूर्ध्न्यभिहितो वक्रमापद्य मारुतः ।। ३३६.

The third Savanā is high-pitched, connected with the head, following the Jagatī meter; the wind, having arisen, is called cranial, and, becoming curved, it proceeds.

वर्णान् जनयते तेषां विभागः पञ्चधा स्मृतः । स्वरतः कालतः स्थानात् प्रयत्नार्थप्रदानतः ।। ३३६.

It produces the letters; their division is remembered as fivefold: by accent, by time, by place, by effort, and by meaning given.

अष्टौ स्थानानि वर्णानामुरः कण्ठः शिरस्तथा । जिह्वामूलञ्च दन्ताश्च नासिकौष्ठौ च तालु च ।। ३३६.

There are eight places of letters: chest, throat, head, root of the tongue, teeth, nose, lips, and palate.

स्वभावश्च विवृत्तिश्च शषसा रेफ एव च । जिह्वामूलमुपध्मा च गतिरष्टविधोष्मणः ।। ३३६.

Their nature and articulation, the 'ṣa' and 'ṣa', and the 'ra' as well; the root of the tongue, the upadhmānya, and the movement—these are the eight kinds of sibilants.

पद्यो भावप्रसन्धानमुकारादि परम्पदं । स्वरान्तं तादृशं विद्याद्यादन्यद्व्यक्तमूष्मणः ।। ३३६.

The connection of meaning in a word begins with 'u', the highest word; that which ends with a vowel is such, and whatever else is clear among the sibilants.

ऊतीर्थादागतं दग्धमप्रवर्णञ्च भक्षितं । एवमुच्चारणं पापमेवमुच्चारणं शुभम् ।। ३३६.

That which comes from an improper place, is burnt, or is eaten without a letter—such pronunciation is sinful, and such pronunciation is auspicious.

अतीर्थादागतं द्रव्यं साम्नायं सुव्यवस्थितं । सुस्वरेण सुवक्त्रेण प्रयुक्तं ब्रह्मराजनि ।। ३३६.

That substance which comes from a proper place, is well arranged in the recitation, and is uttered by a good voice and mouth, O king of Brahmins.

न करालो न लम्वोष्ठो नाव्यक्ता नानुनासिकः । गद्गदो बहुजिह्वश्च न वर्णान् वक्तुमर्हति ।। ३३६.

One who is grimacing, with hanging lips, indistinct, or nasal; stammering, or with many tongues—such a one should not pronounce the letters.

एवं वर्णाः प्रयोक्तव्या नाव्यक्ता न च पीड़िताः । सम्यग्वर्णप्र्योगेण ब्रह्मलोके महीयते ।। ३३६.

Thus, the sounds should be pronounced clearly, not indistinctly nor forcibly; by proper articulation of sounds, one attains honor in the world of Brahma.

उदात्तश्चानुदात्तश्च स्वरितश्च स्वरास्त्रयः । ह्रस्वो दीर्घः प्लुत इति कालतो नियमावधि ।। ३३६.

There are three tones: udātta, anudātta, and svarita; and in terms of duration, short, long, and protracted are prescribed.

कण्ठ्या वहाविचुयशास्तालव्या ओष्ठजा वुपु । स्युर्मूर्द्धन्या ऋटुरसाः दन्त्याः लृतुलसाः स्मृताः ।। ३३६.

The sounds are produced from the throat, lips, palate, and teeth; those from the crown are called ṛ and ṛṣa, those from the teeth are lṛ and lṛṣa, as remembered.

जिह्वामूले तु कुः प्रोक्तो दन्त्योष्ठो वः स्मृतो बुधैः । एदैतौ कण्ठतालव्यौ ओ औ कण्ठ्यौष्ठजौ स्मृतौ ।। ३३६.

At the root of the tongue, 'ku' is said; 'va' is known by the learned as dental-labial; 'e' and 'ai' are throat-palatal, 'o' and 'au' are throat-labial, as remembered.

अर्द्धमात्रा तु कण्ठस्य एकारैकारयोर्भवेत् । अयोगवाहा विज्ञेया आश्रयस्थानभागिनः ।। ३३६.

A half-measure exists for the throat in the case of 'e' and 'ai'; the unjoined sounds are to be understood as belonging to their respective places of articulation.

अचोऽस्पृष्टापणस्त्वीषन्नोमाः स्पृष्टा हलः स्मृताः । शेषाः स्पृष्टा हलः प्रोक्ता निबोधात्र प्रधानतः ।। ३३६.

Among vowels, those not touched are called 'aspṛṣṭa', while the consonants are 'spṛṣṭa'; the remaining consonants are also called 'spṛṣṭa', understand this as the principal rule.