Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 48
The Description of the Sarvatobhadra Maṇḍala (सर्वतोभद्रमण्डलकथनम्)
उभे इति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः यष्टव्यमिति यज्ञेन इति ग, घ, चिह्नितपुस्तकद्वयपाठः यष्टव्यमिति मन्त्रेण इति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः प्रचेता मन्यते ध्रुवमिति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः ह्युत्तममिति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः द्वाराणां पार्श्वयोरन्तः षड् वा चत्वारि मध्यतः द्वे द्वे लुम्पेदेवमेव षड् भवन्त्युपशोभिकाः
ubhe iti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ yaṣṭavyamiti yajñena iti ga, gha, cihnitapustakadvayapāṭhaḥ yaṣṭavyamiti mantreṇa iti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ pracetā manyate dhruvamiti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ hyuttamamiti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ dvārāṇāṃ pārśvayorantaḥ ṣaḍ vā catvāri madhyataḥ dve dve lumpedevameva ṣaḍ bhavantyupaśobhikāḥ
দ্বারের উভয় পার্শ্বফলকের ভিতরে ছয়টি উপশোভিকা স্থাপন/উৎকীর্ণ করা উচিত; অথবা মধ্যভাগে চারটি রেখে, দুই-দুই করে লোপ (অবকাশ) দিতে হবে। এভাবেই ছয়টি উপশোভিকা সম্পন্ন হয়।
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Shilpa","practical_application":"Designing and carving/setting subsidiary decorative members around a doorway: allocating six on side-panels or four centrally with paired recesses to yield six upaśobhikā ornaments.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Dvāra-pārśva upaśobhikā arrangement (six subsidiary ornaments)","lookup_keywords":["upaśobhikā","dvāra-pārśva","ṣaṭ (six)","madhyataḥ catur (four)","lumpet (remove/recess)"],"quick_summary":"Specifies how to distribute decorative members on doorway side-panels and central portions, using paired recesses, to standardize six subsidiary ornaments for a well-embellished gateway."}
Concept: Auspicious beauty is modular and count-based; ornament is not arbitrary but rule-structured.
Application: When detailing a temple doorway, keep ornament counts consistent across entrances to preserve visual harmony and ritual symmetry.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra / Mandira-nirmāṇa (Temple Architecture & Ornamentation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Close-up of a temple doorway elevation: side jamb panels show six decorative units; the central band shows four units with two paired recesses; craftsmen carve and measure the frame.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural close-up of a richly colored temple doorway with stylized floral/geometric upaśobhikā units; artisans with chisels; strong outlines and flat color fields.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting focusing on the doorway threshold with gold-leaf highlighting the six ornament modules; jewel-toned pillars; embossed decorative motifs on jambs and lintel.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore technical elevation drawing with labeled ornament units (1–6), showing alternative placement (six on sides vs four center with paired recesses); fine shading and clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature workshop scene: stone-carvers detailing a gateway; precise ornament modules on the jambs; tools, measuring scale, and patterned borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Verse contains extensive critical apparatus text; analysis performed for the metrical pāda: dvārāṇāṃ ... upaśobhikāḥ. bhavantyupaśobhikāḥ = bhavanti + upaśobhikāḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 29.47 (upadvāra/śobhā logic); Agni Purana 29 (dvāra and prāsāda detailing sequence)
FAQs
It gives a Vāstu-śāstra instruction for doorway ornamentation: how many subsidiary decorative elements (upaśobhikās) to place/carve on the side and middle portions, using a specific two-by-two cut/recess arrangement.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical building science—fine-grained architectural detailing for doors and façades—showing it functions as a compendium of applied arts (śilpa/vāstu) alongside ritual and doctrine.
In Purāṇic Vāstu, correct architectural ornamentation is part of dharmic construction; building sacred spaces according to śāstra is held to support auspiciousness, harmony, and merit (puṇya) for patron and community.