Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 5
Chapter 65 — सभास्थापनकथनं
Account of Establishing an Assembly-hall
त्रिशालं वा द्विशालं वा एकशालमथापि वा व्ययाधिकं न कुर्वीत व्ययदोषकरं हि तत्
triśālaṃ vā dviśālaṃ vā ekaśālamathāpi vā vyayādhikaṃ na kurvīta vyayadoṣakaraṃ hi tat
Ob man einen Grundriss mit drei Hallen, mit zwei Hallen oder auch nur mit einer Halle errichtet: Man soll es nicht mit Ausgaben beginnen, die die eigenen Mittel übersteigen; denn dies ist wahrlich ein Fehler, der ruinöse Kosten hervorbringt.
Lord Agni (instructional narration to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Budgeting and scope-control in house-planning (choosing a 1/2/3-hall plan within one’s means to avoid debt and construction defects caused by cost-cutting later).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vāstu: Avoiding Vyaya-adhika (Over-expenditure) in Śālā-plans","lookup_keywords":["trishala","dvishala","ekashala","vyayadhika","vyayadosha"],"quick_summary":"Choose the house plan (one-, two-, or three-hall) according to capacity; over-spending itself is treated as a vāstu-fault because it triggers ruinous downstream expense and compromise."}
Concept: Artha-niyama (regulated expenditure) as part of gṛhastha prudence; ‘fault’ can be economic as well as ritual/architectural.
Application: Set a fixed budget before design; scale the plan to resources; avoid debt-driven shortcuts that later create structural and social instability.
Khanda Section: Vastu-shastra (Architecture and House-Planning)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder and sthapati reviewing one-, two-, and three-hall floor plans with a ledger of costs, rejecting an over-budget design as a ‘vyaya-doṣa’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat yet rich colors, sthapati with palm-leaf plans showing ekashala-dvishala-trishala layouts, householder holding a grantha and coin-pouch, emphasis on dharmic restraint, traditional borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf accents, central seated sthapati presenting three architectural plan tablets, householder offering measured coins, symbolic balance scale of income vs expense, ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework, instructional scene: labeled śālā plans on a board, accountant-like tally marks, calm domestic setting, muted palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior of a workshop, architect and patron comparing plans and account scrolls, precise geometry, subdued realism, marginal floral motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ekaśālamathāpi → ekaśālam atha api; vyayādhikaṃ (vyaya+adhika) and vyayadoṣakaraṃ (vyaya+doṣa+kara) treated as compounds.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Vāstu/Śilpa sections on house-types (śālā-bheda) and doṣa-prāyaścitta (where applicable)
FAQs
It gives a Vāstu-śāstra guideline for house-building: whichever plan (triśāla/dviśāla/ekaśāla) is chosen, construction must not exceed appropriate or affordable expenditure, since overspending itself is treated as a construction ‘defect’ (doṣa).
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves applied sciences like Vāstu—here, a pragmatic economic rule for architecture—showing its scope as a manual of worldly governance and household life as well as spirituality.
By warning against wasteful, means-exceeding building, the verse aligns household action with dharma: avoiding greed-driven excess and the suffering, debt, and instability (doṣa) that arise from imprudent expenditure.