Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 26
Tvaritā-pūjā (The Worship of Tvaritā) — Transition Verse and Context
वैतालिनि दशार्णाः स्युस्त्यजान्यहिपलालवत् हृदादिकन्यासादौ स्यान् मध्ये नेत्रे न्यसेत्सुधीः
vaitālini daśārṇāḥ syustyajānyahipalālavat hṛdādikanyāsādau syān madhye netre nyasetsudhīḥ
في ترتيب Vaitālinī يُقال إن فيه عشر مقاطع؛ ويُنبغي طرحها كأنها فرسٌ وأنثى أفعى وقشّ. وعند بدء النْياسا ابتداءً من نْياسا القلب (hṛdaya-nyāsa) وما بعده، على الممارس الحكيم أن يضعها في الوسط—على العينين.
Lord Agni (traditional narrator of the Agni Purana) addressing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Guidance for mantra-nyāsa/vinyāsa: handling a specific ‘Vaitālinī’ arrangement of ten syllables, discarding/omitting certain elements, and placing the nyāsa at the eyes during hṛdayādi-aṅga-nyāsa sequence.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vaitālinī vinyāsa: ten-syllable handling and eye-placement in hṛdayādi-nyāsa","lookup_keywords":["Vaitālinī","daśārṇa","hṛdayādi-nyāsa","netra-nyāsa","matṛkā-vinyāsa"],"quick_summary":"A procedural note on a ten-syllable Vaitālinī arrangement: certain syllables are to be rejected, and in the hṛdayādi nyāsa sequence the placement is directed to the eyes (netra) as the central locus."}
Concept: Nyāsa is a disciplined mapping of mantra-syllables onto the body; correct placement (especially netra) is essential for efficacy and safety.
Application: During aṅga/kara-nyāsa, follow the prescribed sequence; place the designated syllables at the eyes as instructed, omitting those marked for rejection.
Khanda Section: Mantra-nyāsa and Tantra (Aṅga-nyāsa / Kara-nyāsa; Matṛkā-vinyāsa)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An instructional nyāsa scene: a practitioner touches heart and other limbs in sequence, then places fingers at the eyes to install the syllables; a diagram shows ten syllables in Vaitālinī order with some crossed out as ‘to be discarded’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, teacher-siddha demonstrating nyāsa mudrās; close focus on hands touching eyes; side panel with ten syllables in circular arrangement, a few marked as rejected; earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, devotional-instructional hybrid: seated sādhaka with gold aura, hands at eyes (netra-nyāsa), ornate border containing the ten-syllable wheel labeled Vaitālinī.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic clarity: body outline with marked nyāsa points (hṛd, śiras, śikhā, kavaca, netra), arrows to eyes as ‘madhye’; clean labels and soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, atelier-like instructional folio: practitioner before a low desk with manuscript; marginal diagram of ten syllables; delicate rendering of fingers touching the eyes, fine calligraphy annotations."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: syustyajānyahipalālavat resolved as स्युः + त्यज + अन्य + अहि-पलाल-वत् (manuscript-style concatenation).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 309.25 (protective mantra segments used with ritual actions); Agni Purana 309.27 (body-region mapping; complements nyāsa localization)
FAQs
It gives a nyāsa rule: in the Vaitālinī scheme (a specific arrangement), a ten-unit set is referenced, certain elements are to be omitted as impure/extraneous, and the practitioner should place the relevant mantra/letters centrally at the eyes during hṛdaya-ādi nyāsa.
Beyond myth and devotion, the Agni Purana preserves highly technical ritual technology—precise body-mapping (nyāsa) and mantra-installation methods—showing its coverage of tantric-ritual praxis alongside other sciences.
Correct nyāsa is held to purify and sacralize the practitioner’s body as a mantra-seat; placing at the eyes (netra) emphasizes consecrated perception and protection, supporting mantra efficacy and inner purification.