Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 17
Chapter 299 — ग्रहहृन्मन्त्रादिकम्
Grahahṛn-Mantras and Allied Procedures
स्वनामाद्यन्तु वीजास्ते हस्तौ संशोध्य चास्त्रतः विपिटनासिक इति ञ अङ्गुष्ठादौ तले नेत्रे हृदाद्यं व्यापकं न्यसेत्
svanāmādyantu vījāste hastau saṃśodhya cāstrataḥ vipiṭanāsika iti ña aṅguṣṭhādau tale netre hṛdādyaṃ vyāpakaṃ nyaset
ثم، ابتداءً من اسم المرء نفسه، ينبغي إيداع/استحضار مقاطع البِيجا (bīja)؛ وبعد تطهير اليدين كلتيهما بمانترا الأسترا (Astra-mantra)، تُؤدَّى «vipiṭanāsikā» (إشارة ضغط/إغلاق الأنف) مع المقطع «ña». ثم يُجرى النْياسا (nyāsa) للمانترا الشاملة: بدءًا من الإبهام وما يليه—على الكف، وعلى العينين، ومن القلب فصاعدًا.
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha in ritual/tantric procedure)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Perform mantra-nyasa: hand purification with astra-mantra, specific mudra/gesture (vipitanasika) with seed syllable, then install mantra on thumb/palm/eyes/heart etc. for ritual efficacy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Nyasa-Vidhi: Kara-shuddhi by Astra and Anga-Nyasa from Thumb to Heart","lookup_keywords":["nyasa","astra-mantra","kara-shuddhi","vipitanasika","bija"],"quick_summary":"Purify hands with the astra-mantra, apply bija-syllables beginning with one’s name, perform the vipitanasika gesture with ‘ña’, then place the pervasive mantra on thumb/palm/eyes and heart onward as a standard tantric installation."}
Concept: Deha as mantra-mandala: installing sound (bija/mantra) onto bodily loci transforms the practitioner into a fit vessel for worship.
Application: Before japa/puja/homa, do kara-shuddhi and anga-nyasa to reduce distraction, mark boundaries (raksha), and align body-breath-mind with the deity-mantra.
Khanda Section: Mantra-nyasa and Tantra-vidhi (Ritual installation of mantras on the body)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A practitioner seated for worship, first touching/purifying both hands with an astra-mantra gesture, performing a nasal-pressing vipitanasika mudra with the bija ‘ña’, then touching thumb, palm, eyes, and heart points in sequence for nyasa.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: yogi/priest in simple attire before a small altar, hands shown in sequential mudras; stylized depiction of touching thumb/palm/eyes/heart; minimal props (kamandalu, lamp), bold outlines and earthy colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: seated devotee with gold-highlighted altar items (lamp, kalasha); hands in clear mudras; small inscriptions of bija syllables near touched body points; ornate frame with gold work.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore instructional plate: step-by-step nyasa sequence in one composition (or four vignettes): kara-shuddhi by astra, vipitanasika with ‘ña’, then thumb/palm/eyes/heart touches; clean lines and labeled loci.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a ritualist in a quiet chamber, performing precise hand gestures; delicate rendering of fingers touching eyes and heart; small calligraphic labels for bija/nyasa points; subdued palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वीजास्ते = बीजाः + ते (ः + त → स्त); चास्त्रतः = च + अस्त्रतः (vowel sandhi); हृदाद्यं = हृद् + आद्यम् (द् + आ → दा).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 299.13-14 (dhyana preceding nyasa); Agni Purana mantra-nyasa and mudra discussions in adjacent mantra-shastra sections
FAQs
It teaches a nyāsa sequence: purify the hands using the Astra-mantra, apply a specified mudrā/gesture (vipiṭanāsikā) with the syllable ‘ña’, and then install an all-pervading mantra across bodily loci (thumb/fingers, palm, eyes, heart onward).
Beyond mythic narration, it preserves precise operational details of mantra-sādhana—hand-purification, bīja usage, gesture terminology, and bodily placement (nyāsa)—showing the text’s coverage of applied ritual technology alongside other sciences.
The sequence functions as ritual purification and protective consecration: it sanctifies the practitioner’s body as a mantra-seat, reduces ritual impurity/obstacles, and is intended to make subsequent worship or sādhana efficacious and safeguarded.