Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 30
The Description of the Sarvatobhadra Maṇḍala (सर्वतोभद्रमण्डलकथनम्)
चत्वारि वाह्यतः पश्चात्त्रीणि त्रीणि तु लोपयेत् ग्रीवापार्श्वे वहिस्त्वेका शोभा सा परिकीर्तिता वीजं वीजात्मकं ध्यायेत् कदम्बकुसुमाकृतिं कुम्भान्तरगतो दीपो निरुद्धप्रसवो यथा
catvāri vāhyataḥ paścāttrīṇi trīṇi tu lopayet grīvāpārśve vahistvekā śobhā sā parikīrtitā vījaṃ vījātmakaṃ dhyāyet kadambakusumākṛtiṃ kumbhāntaragato dīpo niruddhaprasavo yathā
ومن الخارج يُحذَف بعد ذلك أربعةُ (أجزاء)، ويُحذَف ثلاثةٌ وثلاثةٌ (أخرى). وعلى جانبي «العنق» تبقى علامةٌ خارجيةٌ واحدة؛ وتلك تُعلَن أنها الجمال (śobhā). وليتأمّل السالكُ البِيجا (bīja، المقطع البذري) بوصفه طبيعةَ البذرة ذاتها، على هيئة زهرة الكَدَمْبَة (kadamba)—كمصباحٍ موضوعٍ داخل جرّة، وقد كُبِحَ بروزُ لهيبه.
Lord Agni (teaching to sage Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Instructs specific yantra/diagram omissions to refine the form’s ‘beauty’ and prescribes bīja-dhyāna with a concrete visual analogy (kadamba blossom; lamp in a pot) to cultivate steady inner luminosity.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Bīja-dhyāna: kadamba-puṣpa-ākṛti and ghaṭāntar-dīpa nyāya (lamp-in-pot analogy)","lookup_keywords":["bija-dhyana","kadamba-kusuma","ghatantar-dipa","griva-parshva","yantra-lopa"],"quick_summary":"Refine the diagram by omitting specified outer parts to reveal the intended beauty, then meditate on the bīja as a self-identical seed-form shaped like a kadamba flower—steady like a lamp enclosed in a pot."}
Alamkara Type: Upama (simile)
Concept: Mantra as bīja-tattva (self-identical seed-essence) whose power is stabilized by containment and restraint (niruddha-prasava) of outward dispersion.
Application: Practice bīja visualization with a bounded, unwavering inner light—reducing sensory ‘leakage’ like a flame sheltered in a pot.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Dhyana-yoga (Tantric visualization of bija and inner light)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A yantra/lotus form is refined by omitting outer segments; at the neck-sides a single line remains as beauty; the bīja appears as a kadamba blossom, glowing like a lamp inside a pot with a restrained flame.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, geometric yantra with erased outer bands, highlighted single side-lines near a neck motif, central kadamba-flower bīja glowing, a clay pot enclosing a small steady flame as symbolic inset.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-embossed kadamba blossom at center with radiant halo, stylized pot with contained flame rendered in gold and deep reds, decorative emphasis on the remaining single outer mark as śobhā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, didactic illustration: numbered omissions (4, then 3 and 3), final refined outline, central kadamba-shaped bīja, separate vignette of lamp-in-pot to explain niruddha-prasava.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined diagram on parchment, central floral bīja like a kadamba, nearby still-life of a covered earthen pot with a faint glow escaping, meticulous detailing and soft shading."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: paścāttrīṇi = paścāt + trīṇi; vahistvekā = vahiḥ + tu + ekā; kadambakusumākṛtim = kadamba-kusuma-ākṛtim; kumbhāntaragato = kumbha-antara-gataḥ (visarga dropped in sandhi).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 29.29 (aiśvara heart-lotus light); Agni Purana 29.28 (mandala/koṣṭaka framework); Agni Purana 29.26 (progress from thought-formed to thought-free)
FAQs
It teaches a precise dhyāna-technique: suppressing/omitting external features and concentrating on the bīja (seed-mantra) visualized in a kadamba-flower form, with awareness held inward like a lamp enclosed in a pot.
Beyond myth and devotion, it preserves practical, technical contemplative instructions—mantra-bīja visualization and inward-light metaphors—showing the Agni Purāṇa’s coverage of ritual science and yogic method alongside other disciplines.
The instruction emphasizes pratyāhāra-like inward restraint: by turning perception inward and fixing the mind on the bīja, one cultivates steadiness and purity of attention, supporting mantra-siddhi and inner clarity.