Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 31
Ayuta–Lakṣa–Koṭi Fire-offerings (अयुतलक्षकोटिहोमाः) — Graha-yajña Vidhi
यथा भूमिप्रदानस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीं दानान्यन्यानि मे शान्तिर्भूमिदानाद्भवत्विह
yathā bhūmipradānasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīṃ dānānyanyāni me śāntirbhūmidānādbhavatviha
كما أن سائرَ العطايا لا تستحقّ حتى سُدسَ عشرِ ثمرةِ التبرّع بالأرض، كذلك فلتأتِني السَّكينةُ هنا ببركةِ هبةِ الأرض.
Lord Agni (traditionally instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Cited to prioritize bhūmi-dāna (land donation) as the highest-yield gift; used in dāna-vidhi sermons and sankalpa to seek śānti and enduring merit.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Bhūmi-dāna supremacy: other gifts are not even one-sixteenth","lookup_keywords":["bhūmi-dāna","ṣoḍaśī-kalā","dāna-tāratamya","śānti-phala","land-grant"],"quick_summary":"Establishes a hierarchy of gifts where land donation surpasses others overwhelmingly; recommends bhūmi-dāna for maximal peace and merit."}
Alamkara Type: Arthāntaranyāsa
Concept: Sustaining gifts (land) that support ongoing livelihood and dharmic institutions yield superior merit; śānti arises from long-term welfare creation.
Application: When capable, donate cultivable land or revenue-bearing plots to support learning, worship, and public good; document and transfer responsibly to avoid adharma.
Khanda Section: Dāna-Dharma (Charity and Religious Gifts)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A formal land donation: donor and recipient with a boundary map/field scene; the verse emphasizes that other gifts are only a fraction compared to bhūmi-dāna.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized green fields and boundary markers, donor offering a palm-leaf deed to a sage/priest, temple lamp nearby, calm earth tones, emphasis on stability and śānti","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, ceremonial land-grant scene with gold-highlighted deed and auspicious symbols, donor in regal attire, recipient sage with halo-like aura, rich colors and ornate border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear didactic depiction: field plot, boundary stones, written grant, witnesses; fine linework and soft palette suited to instructional dharma theme","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed agrarian landscape with irrigation lines, donor presenting farman-like document, attendants and scribes, delicate architecture and naturalistic rendering"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic-serene","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: न+अर्हन्ति→नार्हन्ति; दानानि+अन्यानि→दानान्यन्यानि; शान्तिः+भूमिदानात्→शान्तिर्भूमिदानात्; भूमिदानात्+भवतु→भूमिदानाद्भवतु; भवतु+इह→भवत्(उ)इह (written bhavatviha).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: dāna-dharma gradations of gifts; rāja-dharma/arthic passages where land and revenue are foundational
FAQs
It teaches the dāna-dharma hierarchy: bhūmi-dāna (donating land) is declared superior, with other gifts not reaching even one-sixteenth of its merit; it is also framed as a śānti-prayoga (an act aimed at peace/appeasement).
By codifying comparative results of different charities, it functions like a dharma compendium—cataloging practical religious duties (dāna, merit-calculus, and śānti aims) alongside the Purana’s many other domains.
It asserts that donating land yields exceptionally high puṇya and is a direct means to attain śānti—inner calm and religious appeasement—through a single, highly meritorious act.