Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 17
Chapter 61 — द्वारप्रतिष्ठाध्वजारोहाणादिविधिः
Gateway Installation, Flag Hoisting, and Allied Rites
प्रासादविम्बद्रव्याणां यावन्तः परमाणवः तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि तत्कर्ता विष्णुलोकभाक्
prāsādavimbadravyāṇāṃ yāvantaḥ paramāṇavaḥ tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi tatkartā viṣṇulokabhāk
So viele Atome (paramāṇu) es in den Stoffen gibt, die für den Tempel (prāsāda) und sein Kultbild (vimba) verwendet werden, so viele Tausende von Jahren erlangt der Erbauer Anteil an Viṣṇus Welt (Viṣṇuloka/Vaikuṇṭha).
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Motivational dharma-phala teaching to encourage temple and icon construction by quantifying merit: the builder gains prolonged residence in Viṣṇu’s realm proportional to the material ‘atoms’ used.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Merit (phala) of Prāsāda and Vimba construction","lookup_keywords":["prāsāda","vimba","paramāṇu","puṇya-phala","viṣṇuloka"],"quick_summary":"Temple and icon construction yields immense merit: the maker attains Viṣṇu’s world for thousands of years multiplied by the number of atoms in the construction materials—an emphatic incentive for sacred building."}
Alamkara Type: Atishayokti
Concept: Dāna-like merit accrues through sacred construction; material effort in service of deity yields transcendent reward (Viṣṇuloka).
Application: Encourage patronage and ethical craftsmanship in temple/icon projects by framing them as high-yield dharmic acts.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra (Temple Architecture and Merit of Construction)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grand temple under construction with sculptors carving an icon; the scene subtly visualizes ‘atoms’ as sparkling motes around stones and metals, while a vision of Vaikuṇṭha appears as the promised fruit.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, artisans carving a vimba and building a prāsāda, luminous specks (paramāṇu) floating, in the upper register Viṣṇu’s Vaikuṇṭha with attendants, earthy palette and bold contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, richly ornamented temple façade with gold accents, sculptor presenting the icon, Vaikuṇṭha vision with Viṣṇu in gold foil radiance, decorative borders emphasizing merit.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, detailed yet calm construction tableau: measuring, carving, placing stones; subtle dotted glow indicating paramāṇu; inset panel of Viṣṇuloka as the result, clean instructional elegance.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling construction site with precise architectural detail, craftsmen and patrons, shimmering dust motes as ‘atoms’, a cloud-borne Vaikuṇṭha vision above, refined colors and perspective."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bilawal","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prāsāda+vimba+dravyāṇām → prāsādavimbadravyāṇāṃ; varṣa+sahasrāṇi → varṣasahasrāṇi; tat+kartā → tatkartā; viṣṇu+loka+bhāk → viṣṇulokabhāk.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Vāstu/Śilpa sections on prāsāda-nirmāṇa and mūrti-pratiṣṭhā; Agni Purana phala-śruti passages attached to ritual/constructive acts
FAQs
It teaches the Vāstu-śāstra principle that commissioning/building a temple (prāsāda) and its deity-image (vimba) yields measurable religious merit, expressed through an atom-count (paramāṇu) based merit-fruition formula.
It exemplifies how the Agni Purāṇa links practical disciplines like architecture and icon-making (Vāstu and śilpa) with theology and karma-phala (spiritual results), integrating technical construction topics with soteriological outcomes (attaining Viṣṇu-loka).
The verse states that the patron/builder accrues vast puṇya—lasting “as many thousands of years as there are atoms” in the construction materials—culminating in residence in Viṣṇu’s realm (Vaikuṇṭha).