Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 2
Chapter 21 — सामान्यपूजाकथनम्
Teaching on General Worship
साग्नयो ह्य् अगादिति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः, अग्निपाला वर्हिषदो ह्य् आज्यपाः साग्नयो ह्य् अजादिति घ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः वैसारणी सुते इति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः धात्रे विधात्रे गङ्गायै यमुनायै निधी तथा द्वारश्रियं वस्तुनवं शक्तिं कूर्ममनन्तकम्
sāgnayo hy agāditi kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ, agnipālā varhiṣado hy ājyapāḥ sāgnayo hy ajāditi gha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ vaisāraṇī sute iti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ dhātre vidhātre gaṅgāyai yamunāyai nidhī tathā dvāraśriyaṃ vastunavaṃ śaktiṃ kūrmamanantakam
(In manchen Handschriften sind Lesarten vermerkt: „Sāgnayaḥ …“ in einer Rezension; „die Hüter des Feuers; die Barhiṣads; die Ghee-Trinker; Sāgnayaḥ …“ in einer anderen; „Vaisāraṇī, o Sūta“ in einer Rezension.) (Man bringe Verehrung/Opferdarbringung dar) Dhātṛ und Vidhātṛ; Gaṅgā und Yamunā; ebenso den zwei Nidhi (Schätzen); Dvāra-Śrī (dem Glück des Türschwellenbereichs), Vāstu (dem Schutzgeist des Ortes), Śakti, Kūrma und Ananta.
Lord Agni (Agni Purana’s primary narrator) addressing/through the Sūta tradition; the verse itself preserves manuscript-variant notes within the transmitted text.
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Puja-vidhi","practical_application":"Provides a litany of ancillary deities/powers to be saluted in ritual—especially threshold/site powers (Dvāra-Śrī, Vāstu) and cosmological supports (Kūrma, Ananta), plus river goddesses and creator-powers.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Devatā-nāma-saṅgraha for pūjā: Dhātṛ–Vidhātṛ, Gaṅgā–Yamunā, Nidhis, Dvāra-Śrī, Vāstu, Śakti, Kūrma, Ananta","lookup_keywords":["dhātṛ","vidhātṛ","dvāra-śrī","vāstu","kūrma"],"quick_summary":"A ritual name-list for offering salutations/oblations to creator-powers, sacred rivers, treasures, threshold prosperity, site-spirit, divine power, and cosmic supports—often used as protective and completeness-invocations in pūjā."}
Concept: Ritual completeness (pūrṇatā) through honoring supporting powers: creators (Dhātṛ/Vidhātṛ), purifiers (rivers), prosperity guardians (Dvāra-Śrī), and spatial/cosmic supports (Vāstu, Kūrma, Ananta).
Application: In pūjā and especially in temple/house rites, add these salutations to stabilize the rite, sanctify the site, and invoke prosperity and protection at the threshold.
Khanda Section: Pūjā-vidhi / Devatā-nāma-saṅgraha (Invocation and deity-name litany used in ritual contexts)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritualist offers sequential salutations to a circle of invoked powers: creator deities, river goddesses, treasure-guardians, threshold prosperity, the site-spirit, Śakti, and the cosmic turtle and serpent supporting the world.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: concentric mandala of deities—Gaṅgā and Yamunā as graceful goddesses with water pots; Dvāra-Śrī at a stylized temple gateway; Vāstu-devatā within a square site-grid; Kūrma and Ananta beneath as cosmic base; bold outlines and flat color fields.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: multi-panel composition like a ritual chart—central shrine with gold arch; side vignettes of Gaṅgā/Yamunā; lower register shows Kūrma and Ananta supporting a lotus pedestal; heavy gold embellishment on ornaments and halos.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional diagram aesthetic—clean mandala layout labeling Dhātṛ, Vidhātṛ, Nidhis, Dvāra-Śrī, Vāstu, Śakti, Kūrma, Ananta; soft palette, fine linework, minimal gold accents.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: a learned priest reads from a manuscript with marginal notes (variant readings), while attendants present offerings; background shows a gateway (Dvāra-Śrī) and a riverbank scene (Gaṅgā/Yamunā); intricate textiles and architectural detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Verse text contains multiple manuscript notes (ख/घ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः) and partial/variant pāṭhas; analyzable continuous segment taken from ‘धात्रे…कूर्ममनन्तकम्’. कूर्ममनन्तकम्→कूर्म-अनन्तकम् (interpreted as dvandva).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 21 (pūjā ancillary devatā invocations); Agni Purana Vāstu-related passages (site deities/mandala context)
FAQs
It functions as an āhvāna/smaraṇa list: a practitioner ritually invokes fire-associated beings (Sāgnayas, Agnipālas, Barhiṣads, Ājyapās), creator-deities (Dhātṛ–Vidhātṛ), sacred rivers, wealth-treasures (Nidhis), and protective/architectural presences (Dvāra-Śrī, Vāstu), along with cosmic supports (Kūrma, Ananta).
In a single compact unit it links multiple domains—Vedic-sacrificial classes (fire/ancestral recipients), tīrtha theology (Gaṅgā–Yamunā), prosperity-protection (Nidhis, Dvāra-Śrī), and architectural sanctity (Vāstu)—showing how the Agni Purana integrates ritual, sacred geography, and applied religious practice.
Remembering and honoring these deities and protective principles is framed as purification and safeguarding of the rite and the dwelling/site—inviting auspiciousness (śrī), stability (kūrma/ananta as supports), and orderly cosmic governance (dhātṛ-vidhātṛ) into one’s ritual and life.