Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 22

नगरादिवास्तुकथनं

Discourse on Vāstu for Cities and Related Settlements

Devanagari script

गर्भपृथुसमा वीथी तदर्धार्धेन वा क्वचित् वीथ्यर्धेनोपवीथ्याद्यमेकद्वित्रिपुरान्वितम्

Transliteration

garbhapṛthusamā vīthī tadardhārdhena vā kvacit vīthyardhenopavīthyādyamekadvitripurānvitam

Translation

Die Hauptstraße (vīthī) soll in der Breite dem inneren Kern (garbha) entsprechen; mitunter kann sie auch halb so breit angelegt werden. Die Nebenstraße (upavīthī) und die übrigen Teile können die halbe Breite der vīthī haben, und die Anlage kann für eine, zwei oder drei Städte (pura) eingerichtet werden.

Word by Word

• garbha-pṛthu-samā: equal (in measure) to garbha and pṛthu (types)
• garbha-pṛthu-samā: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: garbha (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛthu (प्रातिपदिक) + samā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; descriptive compound qualifying vīthī

• vīthī: the vīthī (lane/plan element)
• vīthī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīthī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tad-ardha-ardhena: by its half of a half (i.e., by a quarter)
• tad-ardha-ardhena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; तत्पुरुष ‘its half-half’ (= quarter) used as measure

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्पबोधक अव्यय)

• kvacit: somewhere/sometimes
• kvacit: Desha-kala-adhikarana (देश/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (काल/देश-अव्यय)

• vīthī-ardhena: by half of the vīthī
• vīthī-ardhena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīthī (प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; ‘half of the vīthī’ as measure

• upavīthī-ādyam: beginning with upavīthī, etc.
• upavīthī-ādyam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upavīthī (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; ‘beginning with upavīthī’

• eka-dvi-tri-pura-anvitam: endowed with one, two, or three ‘puras’ (sections/courts)
• eka-dvi-tri-pura-anvitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + pura (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; past passive participle (क्त) from √i (इ) with anu- → anvita ‘endowed with’; compound indicates ‘with one/two/three puras’

Speaker

Lord Agni (in dialogue tradition, instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)

Vidya Category

Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Shilpa","practical_application":"Street-width standards and hierarchical road sizing for planned towns, including multi-town (1–3) layout modules.","sutra_style":true}

Encyclopedic Reference

Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vīthī and upavīthī width proportions (garbha-based)","lookup_keywords":["garbha","vīthī-pramāṇa","upavīthī","ardha","pura-traya"],"quick_summary":"Sets proportional widths: main street equal to (or sometimes half of) the garbha width; subsidiary streets half of the main street; allows planning modules for one to three towns."}

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Pramāṇa (measure) and anupāta (proportion) as the basis of harmony and circulation in settlements.

Application: Derive road hierarchy from a chosen module (garbha), ensuring consistent scaling from main to subsidiary streets and enabling expansion to multiple linked towns.

Khanda Section

Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra (Town-planning and architectural measurement)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: Kingdom

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A proportional diagram: garbha width as the base module, main vīthī equal/half, upavīthī half of vīthī, with 1–3 linked town blocks.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, geometric mandala grid with bold outlines, three adjacent pura blocks, color-coded streets showing width hierarchy, Sanskrit labels for garbha/vīthī/upavīthī.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-highlighted measuring rods and borders, central garbha module with radiating streets, jewel-toned palette, embossed numerals indicating halves.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional folio, architect with measuring cord (rajju) demonstrating garbha-based scaling, neat proportional bars beside the plan.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, surveyors with ropes and pegs laying out a street grid, fine linear perspective with an inset proportional chart for garbha/vīthī/upavīthī."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: vīthyardhenopavīthīādyam → vīthī-ardhena + upavīthī-ādyam; ekadvitripurānvitam → eka-dvi-tri-pura-anvitam.

Cross References

Related Themes: Agni Purana 105 (pramāṇa and vīthī/upavīthī discussion around pura-vinyāsa)

Characters & Entities

• Agni
• Vāstu-śāstra
• Vīthī
• Upavīthī
• Pura

FAQs

What technical or ritual knowledge (Vidya) is imparted in this verse?

It gives Vāstu-śāstra measurement rules: the main street (vīthī) should match the plan’s central core (garbha) in width (or be half), while secondary streets (upavīthī) are set at half the vīthī—useful for practical city or settlement layout.

How does this verse contribute to the 'Encyclopedic' nature of the Agni Purana?

Beyond theology, it preserves applied technical knowledge—urban planning and architectural proportioning—showing the Agni Purana’s coverage of civil design standards alongside ritual and spiritual topics.

What is the spiritual or karmic significance of this specific instruction?

In Purāṇic Vāstu, correct proportions and orderly layouts are treated as dhārmic alignment of human habitation with cosmic order, believed to support welfare, stability, and auspiciousness for residents.