Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 35
Chapter 38 — देवालयनिर्माणफलं
The Merit of Constructing a Temple
यमो यमभटानाह देवमन्दिरकारिणः यम उवाच प्रतिमापूजादिकृतो नानेया नरकं नराः
yamo yamabhaṭānāha devamandirakāriṇaḥ yama uvāca pratimāpūjādikṛto nāneyā narakaṃ narāḥ
قال يَما لحُجّابه (اليَمَبْهَطَة): «إن الرجال الذين بنَوا معابد للآلهة، والذين قاموا بأعمال مثل عبادة البراتيمَا (الصور المقدسة)، لا يجوز أن يُساقوا إلى الجحيم».
Yama (as quoted within the narration)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vastu","practical_application":"Establishing a normative rule for afterlife adjudication: temple builders and image-worshippers are exempt from being dragged to hell—used to encourage public religious works and daily pūjā.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Yama’s Injunction: Do Not Seize Deva-mandira-kārins and Pratimā-pūjaka","lookup_keywords":["Yama","yamabhaṭa","deva-mandira-kārin","pratimā-pūjā","naraka"],"quick_summary":"Yama instructs his attendants that those who build temples and those who perform image-worship and allied rites are not to be taken to hell, underscoring the protective power of such dharmic acts."}
Alamkara Type: Itivṛtta (narrativized injunction)
Concept: Dharma as a protective force recognized even by the lord of death; ritual and public piety alter karmic trajectory.
Application: Support temple construction/maintenance and perform regular pratimā-pūjā as a sustained dharmic discipline.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Vastu (Temple-construction merit and image-worship)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Cosmic realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"In Yama’s court, Yama commands yamabhaṭas to release or not seize temple-builders and image-worshippers; a scroll-like decree is shown.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Yama seated with mace and buffalo emblem, attendants with stern faces; Yama gestures ‘stop’; below, a devotee holding temple blueprint and another offering flowers to a pratimā; bold outlines and decorative flames subdued.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Yama in regal posture with gold embellishments; attendants halted mid-step; lower panel shows a gleaming temple and a worshipper; gold leaf highlights on throne and ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear narrative: Yama issuing an injunction to yamabhaṭas; side vignette of temple construction and pratimā-pūjā; fine linework, readable gestures, instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court scene with Yama as a kingly figure, attendants in formation; a petitioner group of temple patrons; intricate textiles, architectural arches, and a written decree motif."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: yamabhaṭānāha = yama-bhaṭān + āha; yama uvāca = yamaḥ + uvāca; pratimāpūjādikṛtaḥ = pratimā-pūjā-ādi-kṛtaḥ; nāneyā = na + āneyāḥ (visarga loss/phonetic coalescence).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Naraka/pretakalpa-style moral passages (where present); Agni Purana: Devalaya-nirmāṇa and pūjā-vidhi sections contiguous to this verse
FAQs
It states a practical dhārmic rule: those who build deva-temples and perform pratimā-pūjā (image-worship and allied rites) are exempt from being seized by Yama’s messengers for hellish punishment.
Alongside architecture/temple-making (vāstu, deva-mandira-karaṇa), it also encodes a doctrine of karmic jurisprudence (Yama’s adjudication), linking ritual action to post-mortem consequence—showing the text’s breadth across ritual, ethics, and eschatology.
It elevates temple-building and image-worship as high-merit acts (puṇya) that protect the devotee from naraka, presenting devotion expressed through public religious works and daily worship as spiritually safeguarding.