Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 18
Utpāta-śānti
Pacification of Portents
अकाले फलिता वृक्षाः क्षीरं रक्तं स्रवन्ति च वृक्षोत्पातप्रशमनं शिवं पूज्य च कारयेत्
akāle phalitā vṛkṣāḥ kṣīraṃ raktaṃ sravanti ca vṛkṣotpātapraśamanaṃ śivaṃ pūjya ca kārayet
যেতিয়া গছ অকালতে ফল ধৰে আৰু তাতৰ পৰা গাখীৰ বা তেজ সৰে, তেতিয়া এনে বৃক্ষ-উৎপাত শমনৰ বাবে শিৱপূজা কৰাব লাগে।
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating the Agni Purana’s instructions to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Averting arboreal portents (out-of-season fruiting, exudation of milk/blood) through Śiva-pūjā as a śānti rite.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vṛkṣa-utpāta-śānti by Śiva-pūjā","lookup_keywords":["vṛkṣa-utpāta","akāla-phala","kṣīra-srāva","rakta-srāva","Śiva-pūjā"],"quick_summary":"Unnatural tree phenomena are treated as utpāta affecting community welfare. The prescribed pacification is Śiva worship, positioning Śiva as the remover of such ominous disturbances."}
Concept: Nature’s anomalies are read as disturbances requiring propitiation; Śiva functions as the great pacifier (śāntikara) of utpāta.
Application: When such signs appear, organize community Śiva-pūjā (with abhiṣeka, bilva offerings, and śānti-saṅkalpa) to restore confidence and ritual order.
Khanda Section: Utpāta-śānti & Śiva-pūjā-vidhi (Omens and pacificatory rites)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grove where trees fruit out of season and ooze white sap like milk or red sap like blood; villagers and priests perform Śiva-pūjā to avert the omen.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sacred grove with stylized trees exuding white and red sap, Śiva shrine nearby, priests offering bilva leaves and water abhiṣeka, protective aura encircling the grove","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Śiva/Śivaliṅga central with gold halo, foreground shows miraculous tree with milk-like sap, devotees performing ārati, rich reds and greens with gold embellishment","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, narrative-instructional scene: left panel shows tree-omen, right panel shows Śiva-pūjā steps (kalasha, bilva, abhiṣeka), delicate pastel palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, landscaped garden with unusual trees, attendants pointing at sap, a small Śiva shrine with worship in progress, fine botanical detailing and architectural pavilion"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Shivaranjani","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वृक्षोत्पातप्रशमनं = वृक्ष + उत्पात + प्रशमनम् (तत्पुरुष). पूज्य = पूज् + ल्यप् (gerund).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 262 (utpāta-śānti; Śiva-pūjā-vidhi context)
FAQs
It prescribes an Utpāta-śānti (pacificatory rite) for arboreal portents: when trees fruit out of season or exude milk/blood-like sap, one should commission Śiva-pūjā specifically aimed at vṛkṣotpāta-praśamana (appeasing the tree-omen).
Alongside theology, the text catalogues practical omenology (utpāta-lakṣaṇa) and the corresponding remedial ritual technologies (śānti-karman), showing how Purāṇic religion integrates observation of natural anomalies with prescribed liturgical responses.
By turning an ominous sign into a sanctioned act of worship, the verse frames ritual devotion to Śiva as a means of purification and harm-aversion—restoring auspiciousness (śiva) and mitigating the negative karmic or communal fallout implied by the portent.