Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 6
Chapter 23 — पूजाविधिकथनम्
The Account of the Rules of Worship
शोधयित्वा न्यसेत्तत्त्वं करशुद्धिरथास्त्रकं व्यापकं हस्तयोरादौ दक्षिणाङ्गुष्ठतोङ्गकं
śodhayitvā nyasettattvaṃ karaśuddhirathāstrakaṃ vyāpakaṃ hastayorādau dakṣiṇāṅguṣṭhatoṅgakaṃ
Nachdem die Hände gereinigt sind, soll man sodann das Prinzip (tattva) durch Nyāsa einsetzen. Danach folgt die Reinigung der Hände und anschließend das Nyāsa des „Waffen-Mantras“ (astraka). Darauf das all-durchdringende (vyāpaka) Mantra-Nyāsa: zu Beginn auf beiden Händen—vom rechten Daumen an—wird das Mantra auf die Gliedpunkte der Hand und Finger gesetzt.
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Pūjā-vidhi: kara-śuddhi and aṅga/karanyāsa to ritually purify hands and install mantra-power before offerings and japa.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Kara-śuddhi and Vyāpaka/Āstraka Nyāsa on the Hands","lookup_keywords":["karaśuddhi","karanyāsa","āstraka","vyāpaka","nyāsa"],"quick_summary":"After hand-purification, install tattva and the astra-mantra, then perform the vyāpaka-nyāsa across finger/joint points beginning from the right thumb on both hands to make the hands fit instruments of worship."}
Concept: Śarīra and karaṇa (hands) are made mantra-adhikṛta through nyāsa; purity is operationalized as correct placement and recollection.
Application: Use stepwise nyāsa as a checklist: karaśuddhi → tattva-nyāsa → āstraka → vyāpaka across finger-points, ensuring consistency before japa/pūjā.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Nyasa, Kara-śuddhi, Mantra-anga-vinyasa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritualist seated before a small altar, performing karanyāsa: touching thumb and finger-joints in sequence on both hands, with a water vessel and flowers nearby.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat warm palette, priest in white dhoti performing karanyāsa on both hands, small pūjā altar with lamp, conch, flowers; clear finger-point touches, sacred geometry border.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on altar lamp and vessels, priest performing nyāsa on hands, ornate arch motif behind, rich reds and greens, stylized lotuses and floral offerings.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework showing finger-joint sequence starting from right thumb, labeled limb-points implied, calm indoor shrine setting with vardhanī and pūjā items arranged symmetrically.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed hands and finger positions, low wooden platform altar, small vessels and flowers, delicate textiles, precise gesture depiction with marginal notes aesthetic."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: nyaset+tattvam→nyasettattvaṃ; karaśuddhiḥ+atha→karaśuddhirathā; dakṣiṇāṅguṣṭhataḥ+aṅgakam→dakṣiṇāṅguṣṭhatoṅgakaṃ; hastayoḥ+ādau→hastayorādau
Related Themes: Agni Purana 23 (Nyāsa, karaśuddhi, aṅganyāsa context)
FAQs
It teaches a stepwise nyāsa sequence: hand purification (kara-śuddhi), placement of tattva, application of the protective astraka-mantra, and the vyāpaka (all-pervading) nyāsa beginning from the right thumb across the hand’s limb-points.
Beyond mythology, it preserves precise ritual technology—manual-like instructions for mantra-installation (nyāsa) and protective ‘weapon’ mantras—showing the Agni Purana’s coverage of practical pūjā-vidhi and tantric-liturgy procedures.
By purifying the hands and ritually ‘installing’ mantras, the practitioner sanctifies action itself (karma through the hands), establishes protection (astraka), and aligns the body-mind with the invoked tattva for a more efficacious and purified worship.