Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 6
Viṣṇu-Pañjara (विष्णुपञ्जरम्) — The Protective Armor of Viṣṇu
गदा चेयं सहस्रार्चिःप्रदीप्तपावकोज्ज्वला रक्षोभूतपिशाचानां डाकिनीनाञ्च नाशनी
gadā ceyaṃ sahasrārciḥpradīptapāvakojjvalā rakṣobhūtapiśācānāṃ ḍākinīnāñca nāśanī
এই গদা সহস্র-শিখাযুক্ত, প্রজ্বলিত অগ্নির ন্যায় দীপ্ত; ইহা রাক্ষস, ভূত, পিশাচ এবং ডাকিনীদের বিনাশকারিণী।
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s ritual-protective discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Apotropaic protection (raksha) by invoking a fiery gada as a mantra-weapon to repel/neutralize bhuta-preta and hostile entities.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Gadā as Rakṣā-Āyudha (Thousand-flamed Fire-Mace)","lookup_keywords":["gadā","rakṣā-mantra","rākṣasa-bhūta-piśāca","ḍākinī","apotropaic"],"quick_summary":"The verse sacralizes the mace as a blazing, thousand-flamed protective implement. It functions as a mantra-weapon aimed at destroying/banishing rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, and ḍākinīs."}
Alamkara Type: Rūpaka (weapon identified with fire)
Weapon Type: Mace (gadā)
Concept: Tejas (fiery potency) harnessed through mantra-visualization to negate adharmic/hostile forces.
Application: Use in kavaca/nyāsa: mentally install the blazing gadā as a protective guard and recite for bhūta-preta-śānti.
Khanda Section: Isana-kalpa (Protective rites, weapons/mantras, and apotropaic ritual technology)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A radiant mace, wreathed in flames like a thousand tongues of fire, stands as a protective emblem while shadowy rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, and ḍākinīs recoil and dissolve.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, central blazing gadā with layered flame halos, subdued earthy reds and ochres, demon-spirits in the margins retreating, ornamental borders, sacred protective aura","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, iconic flaming gadā with gold leaf radiance, embossed halo effects, stylized spirits fleeing, rich reds and greens, devotional protective composition","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean linework and soft shading, detailed flame patterns around the gadā, instructional kavaca feel with labeled hostile beings receding, calm but potent aura","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, finely detailed fiery mace with delicate flame strokes, night-scene with small grotesque spirits dispersing, precise ornamentation, controlled palette with bright fire highlights"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"protective","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ceyaṃ = ca + iyam; sahasrārciḥpradīptapāvakojjvalā resolved as sahasra-arciḥ-pradīpta-pāvaka-ujjvalā; ḍākinīnāñca = ḍākinīnām + ca.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Isana-kalpa sections on rakṣā, kavaca, bhūta-preta-nivāraṇa; Agni Purana chapters describing Viṣṇu’s āyudhas and protective stotras (kavaca-prayoga)
FAQs
It characterizes a consecrated gada (mace) as a fire-like, multi-rayed protective implement whose function is apotropaic—used to repel/destroy classes of harmful entities (rakṣas, bhūtas, piśācas, ḍākinīs) within protective rites.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana preserves applied religious technology—weapon-sanctification and spirit-affliction countermeasures—cataloging named entity-types and their ritual neutralization, alongside other domains like worship procedure, polity, medicine, and arts.
The verse frames protection as dharmic purification: aligning with fiery (pāvaka) power to remove malignant influences, thereby safeguarding the practitioner’s ritual purity, well-being, and capacity to perform righteous duties.