Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 5
Mantras for Worship Beginning with the Five-Syllabled
Mantra) — Concluding Colophon (Chapter 304 end
शालग्रामे महायोगं हरिं गोबर्धनाचले पिण्डारके चतुर्वाहुं शङ्खोद्धारे च शङ्खिनम्
śālagrāme mahāyogaṃ hariṃ gobardhanācale piṇḍārake caturvāhuṃ śaṅkhoddhāre ca śaṅkhinam
في شالاغراما (Śālagrāma) يُتأمَّل هري بوصفه «اليوغي العظيم» (Mahāyogin)؛ وعلى جبل غوفردهن (Govardhana) (يُتأمَّل) هري؛ وفي پِنْدارَكا (Piṇḍāraka) هو «ذو الأذرع الأربع» (Caturvāhu)؛ وفي شانخوُدّهارا (Śaṅkhoddhāra) هو «شانخِن» ربّ القوقعة وحاملها.
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Samanya","secondary_vidya":"Stotra","practical_application":"Pilgrimage contemplation and icon-focused remembrance: visualize Hari with the attribute emphasized by the site (yogin, four-armed, conch-bearing) during darshana and japa.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Kshetra-wise Hari Forms (Śālagrāma–Govardhana–Piṇḍāraka–Śaṅkhoddhāra)","lookup_keywords":["Shalagrama","Govardhana","Pindaraka","Shankhoddhara","Chaturvahu"],"quick_summary":"Associates major tirthas with specific contemplative forms of Hari—Mahāyogin, the four-armed form, and the conch-bearing Lord—serving as a practical guide for dhyāna during yatra."}
Concept: One deity, many upāsanā-doors: form/attribute selection stabilizes mind in dhyāna and integrates local sacred geography into practice.
Application: At each site, perform dhyāna matching the epithet (Mahāyogin/Chaturvāhu/Śaṅkhin) before offering; use the epithet in mantra-japa and archana.
Khanda Section: Tirtha-Mahatmya (Vishnu-Kshetra-Stotra / Sacred-site identifications of Hari)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Four-panel sacred geography: Śālagrāma river stones on a shrine with a meditating Mahāyogin aura; Govardhana hill with devotees; Piṇḍāraka shrine with four-armed Vishnu; Śaṅkhoddhāra with Vishnu prominently holding a conch.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, segmented narrative panels; Śālagrāma stones with ritual vessels; Govardhana hill in stylized greens; Vishnu in caturbhuja form; emphasize śaṅkha in Śaṅkhoddhāra panel; ornate floral borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore gold-work: central caturbhuja Vishnu with embossed jewelry; smaller medallions for Śālagrāma and Govardhana; highlight conch with bright white and gold; temple arch frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean didactic composition: labeled panels with each tirtha and corresponding form; fine facial features, soft palette; clear depiction of śaṅkha and four arms.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature landscape: Govardhana hill with detailed trees and pilgrims; riverbank Śālagrāma worship; shrines rendered with architectural precision; Vishnu forms appearing as subtle divine visions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Related Themes: Agni Purana 304 (continuation of kshetra-wise identifications)
FAQs
It teaches kṣetra-wise dhyāna/saṅkalpa: meditating on Vishnu in specific iconographic aspects tied to particular tīrthas—Mahāyogin at Śālagrāma, Caturvāhu at Piṇḍāraka, and Śaṅkhin (conch-bearing) at Śaṅkhoddhāra—useful for pilgrimage worship and site-specific pūjā.
By cataloging sacred geography (tīrthas) together with precise theological/iconographic identifiers of Hari, it functions like a reference index for pilgrimage, temple practice, and devotional visualization—one of the Agni Purana’s hallmark ‘compendium’ modes.
Kṣetra-specific remembrance and worship of Vishnu is presented as a purifying, merit-producing practice: aligning one’s devotion with renowned holy places and established forms of Hari is traditionally held to intensify puṇya and support liberation-oriented devotion (bhakti) and inner steadiness (yoga).