Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 14
Dānādi-māhātmya — The Glory of Gifts, Manuscript-Donation, and Purāṇic Transmission
माघ्यान्दद्याद्वराहस्य चरितं ब्रह्मलोकभाक् यत्रग्निलिङ्गमध्यस्थो धर्मान्प्राह महेश्वरः
māghyāndadyādvarāhasya caritaṃ brahmalokabhāk yatragniliṅgamadhyastho dharmānprāha maheśvaraḥ
في شهر ماغها (Māgha) ينبغي أن يُتصدَّق بسرد سيرة فَرَاهَا (Varāha، تجسّد الخنزير البري). وبذلك يصير المرء شريكًا في براهما-لوكا (Brahmaloka)، إذ إن هذه هي الرواية المقدّسة التي فيها أعلن مهيشڤرا (Maheśvara)، الجالس في قلب أغني-لينغا (Agni-liṅga)، شرائع الدارما.
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s discourse frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Māgha-māsa dāna: sacred-text donation/recitation of Varāha-carita as a vrata-linked gift to accrue punya and orient conduct toward dharma.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Māgha-dāna of Varāha-carita and Agni-liṅga Dharmopadeśa","lookup_keywords":["Māgha-dāna","Varāha-carita","Agni-liṅga","Brahmaloka","Dharma-upadeśa"],"quick_summary":"Donate (or sponsor recitation/copying) of the Varāha narrative in Māgha; the phala is Brahmaloka. The narrative is framed as Maheśvara teaching dharma from within the Agni-liṅga."}
Concept: Dāna and śravaṇa/paṭhana of purāṇic dharma-kathā as a means to loka-prāpti and dharma-saṃskāra.
Application: Observe Māgha as a disciplined giving-season; sponsor dharma-kathā and align personal conduct with taught dharma.
Khanda Section: Tirtha-Dana-Mahatmya (Sacred observances, gifts, and pilgrimage merits)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee offers a palm-leaf manuscript of Varāha-carita during Māgha; in a sanctum, a blazing Agni-liṅga reveals Maheśvara within, teaching dharma to sages.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural, warm ochres and reds, Agni-liṅga as a vertical flame-pillar in garbhagṛha, Śiva’s presence subtly within the flame, sages seated in semicircle, manuscript offering in foreground, traditional ornamentation, flat perspective.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Agni-liṅga with embossed gold flame aureole, Śiva implied within radiance, devotee holding manuscript and offering tray, rich textiles, temple arch framing, heavy gold work and gemstones effect.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, instructional tableau: donor presenting Varāha-carita, priest near liṅga, Śiva’s dharma-upadeśa indicated by gesture within luminous pillar, soft colors, detailed temple interior.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly manuscript-donation scene inside a shrine, delicate flame pillar, sages with expressive faces, fine architectural detailing, calligraphic manuscript emphasized, subdued palette with gold highlights."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: māghyān+dadyāt → māghyāndadyāt; dharmān+prāha → dharmānprāha; yatra+agni... → yatrāgniliṅga... (written yatragniliṅga...).
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa: Tīrtha-dāna-māhātmya sections on māsa-dāna; Agni Purāṇa: Liṅga-dāna/vrata-kathā passages; Agni Purāṇa: Varāha-carita/avatāra-kathā catalogues
FAQs
It prescribes a specific Māgha-month dāna: gifting (or sponsoring the gifting/recitation) of the Varāha-carita as a meritorious religious act.
Alongside theology and myth (Varāha-carita), it encodes practical ritual economy—time-specific charity, phala (result) statements, and the sacral framing of dharma-teachings—showing how narrative, worship, and ethics are integrated.
The act is said to yield Brahmaloka-attainment, indicating high ritual merit (puṇya) accrued through timed charity connected to a sanctifying dharma-teaching tradition attributed to Maheśvara within the Agni-liṅga.