Agni Purana

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.

अमोऽनुनासिकानक्रौ नादिमौ हसपः स्मृता । ईषन्नादोपणयशः स्वासिनश्च थकादयः ३३६.

'am' is non-nasal, 'an' and 'au' are nasal, 'ha', 'sa', and 'pa' are remembered as such; those with slight sound at the lips are 'tha' and others, who are their own kind.

अग्निरुवाच काव्यस्य नाटकादेश्च अलङ्कारान् वदाम्यऽथ । ध्वनिर्व्वर्णाः पदं वाक्यमित्येतद्वाङ्‌मयं मतं ।। ३३७.

Agni said: I shall now speak of the ornaments of poetry and drama; sound, letter, word, and sentence—these are considered the elements of speech.

शास्त्रेतिहासवाक्यानां त्रयं यत्र समाप्यते । शास्त्रे शब्दप्रधानात्वमितिहासेषु निष्ठता ।। ३३७.

Where the three—scriptural, historical, and poetic sentences—are found together, in scripture, sound predominates, while in history, meaning is paramount.

अभिधायाः प्रधानत्वात् काव्यं ताभ्यां विभिद्यते । नरत्वं दुर्ल्लभं लोके विद्यातत्र च दुर्ल्लभा ।। ३३७.

Because direct expression predominates, poetry is distinguished from the other two; humanity is rare in the world, and knowledge there is also rare.

कवित्वं दुर्ल्लभं तत्र शक्तिस्तत्र च दुर्ल्लभा । व्युत्‌पत्तिर्दुर्ल्लभा तत्र विवेकस्तत्र दुर्लभः ।। ३३७.

Poetic talent is rare there, and ability is also rare; learning is rare there, and discernment is rare as well.

सर्व्वं शास्त्रमविद्वद्भिर्मृग्यमाणन्न सिध्यति । आदिवर्णा द्वितीयश्च महाप्राणास्तुरीयकः ।। ३३७.

All scripture, when sought by the unlearned, does not succeed; the first and second sounds, the third is with strong breath.

वर्गेषु वर्णवृन्दं स्यात्पदं सुप्‌तिङ्‌प्रभेदतः । सङ्‌क्षेपाद्वाक्यमिष्टार्थव्यवछिन्ना पदाबली ।। ३३७.

In groups, there is a collection of sounds; a word is distinguished by case and verb endings; briefly, a sentence is a collection of words expressing a desired meaning.

काव्यं स्फटदलङ्कारं गुणवद्दोषवर्जितम् । योनिर्व्वेदश्च लोकश्च सिद्धमन्नादयोनिजं ।। ३३७.

Poetry is clear, adorned, endowed with virtues and free from faults; its origin is the Veda and the world, established from food and other sources.

देवादीनां संस्कृतं स्यात् प्राकृतं त्रिविधं नृणां । गद्यं पद्यञ्च मिश्रञ्च काव्यादि त्रिविधं स्मृतम् ।। ३३७.

For gods and others, Sanskrit is used; for humans, three kinds of Prakrit; prose, verse, and mixed—these three are remembered as types of poetry and the like.

आपदः पदसन्तानो गद्यन्तदपि गद्यते । चूर्णकोत्‌कलिकागन्धिवृत्तभेदात् त्रिरूपकम् ।। ३३७.

A series of words forms prose, and that too is called prose; due to the distinctions of cūrṇa, utkalikā, and gandhi, it is threefold in form.