Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 23
Chapter 49 — मत्स्यादिलक्षणवर्णनम्
Description of the Characteristics of Matsya and the Other Incarnations
विंशद्बाहुश् चतुर्वक्त्रो दक्षिणस्थोथ वामके त्रिनेत्रे वामपार्श्वे न शयितो जलशाय्यपि
viṃśadbāhuś caturvaktro dakṣiṇasthotha vāmake trinetre vāmapārśve na śayito jalaśāyyapi
له عشرون ذراعًا وأربعة وجوه؛ وهو موضوع في الجهة اليمنى وكذلك في الجهة اليسرى. وهو ذو ثلاث عيون؛ وعلى الجانب الأيسر لا يُصوَّر مضطجعًا، حتى في هيئة «المتوسّد على المياه» (jalāśāyī).
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha, in the standard Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Guides dhyāna and image-making by specifying arm/face count, eye count, and compositional placement rules (right/left positioning; exclusion of a reclining pose on the left side).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Caturvaktra-viṃśatibāhu tri-netra icon—positional rule (non-reclining on left)","lookup_keywords":["viṃśati-bāhu","catur-vaktra","tri-netra","jalaśāyī","pratimā-sthāna"],"quick_summary":"Defines a specific iconographic configuration: twenty arms, four faces, three eyes, and a compositional constraint that the left-side depiction should not be in the reclining-on-waters posture."}
Concept: Dhyāna requires precise form (ākāra) and placement; correct visualization is itself a discipline supporting ritual efficacy.
Application: Use as a checklist for temple sculptors and for sādhakas performing nyāsa/dhyāna before pūjā.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Murti-lakshana (Iconography of deities)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A frontal deity with four faces and twenty arms, three eyes emphasized; composition shows a right-side and left-side arrangement, with the left explicitly not in a reclining-on-ocean pose; the scene reads like a temple icon specification.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: four-faced, three-eyed deity with twenty arms in symmetrical fan-like spread; show two-panel composition indicating right placement and left placement; avoid depicting the left as reclining; traditional mural borders and lotus motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central four-faced, twenty-armed icon with gold halo and embossed ornaments; include a small inset vignette of jalaśāyī crossed out/absent on the left side to convey the rule; rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: diagrammatic yet elegant painting, clear count of 20 arms and 4 faces, three eyes; side-by-side layout labeled ‘dakṣiṇa’ and ‘vāma’; left panel shows standing/seated, not reclining; soft pastel palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: courtly framing with architectural arches; deity with four faces and many arms; marginal note-like calligraphy indicating ‘not jalaśāyī on left’; delicate detailing and subdued gold."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: viṃśadbāhuś→viṃśat-bāhuḥ (final -t before b); dakṣiṇasthotha→dakṣiṇa-sthaḥ atha; jalaśāyyapi→jala-śāyī api.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 49.22–49.26 (continuous murti-lakṣaṇa and dhyāna sequence)
FAQs
It gives murti-lakṣaṇa (iconographic) constraints: the deity’s arms/faces/eyes and positional rules (right/left placement), including a restriction about not depicting a reclining posture on the left side even when invoking the Jalaśāyī form.
Beyond theology, it preserves practical temple-arts knowledge—how images should be composed, proportioned, and positioned—showing the text’s coverage of ritual manuals, sculpture/architecture-adjacent rules, and applied religious art standards.
Correct iconographic depiction is treated as safeguarding ritual correctness (śāstra-sammatā pūjā), believed to ensure the intended devotional result and avoid doṣa (ritual fault) arising from improper forms or placements.