Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 4
अध्याय ७३: सूर्यपूजाविधिः
Sūrya-pūjā-vidhi — The Procedure for Sun-Worship
द्वारि दक्षे वामपार्श्वे ईशाने अं गणाय च अग्नौ गुरुं पीठमध्ये प्रभूतं चासनं यजेत्
dvāri dakṣe vāmapārśve īśāne aṃ gaṇāya ca agnau guruṃ pīṭhamadhye prabhūtaṃ cāsanaṃ yajet
Am Eingang, rechts, links und im Nordosten (Īśāna) soll Gaṇeśa mit der Silbe „aṃ“ verehrt werden; im Feuer (agni) verehre man den Guru; und in der Mitte des Sockels (pīṭha) verehre man den Mächtigen zusammen mit seinem Sitz (āsana).
Lord Agni (in dialogue tradition of the Agni Purāṇa, teaching ritual procedure)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Puja-vidhi","practical_application":"Spatial deployment of deities in worship: assign Gaṇeśa at specified liminal points (doorway/right/left/NE) with bīja ‘aṃ’, worship Guru at the fire-altar, and install the main deity and āsana at the pīṭha center.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Pūjā Spatial Layout: Doorway/Īśāna Gaṇeśa, Agni-sthāna Guru, Pīṭha-madhya Deity with Āsana","lookup_keywords":["īśāna","dvāra","gaṇeśa aṃ","guru agni","pīṭha-madhya"],"quick_summary":"The verse prescribes where to place and worship key powers in a pūjā-maṇḍala: Gaṇeśa at threshold/NE, Guru in the fire locus, and the principal deity enthroned at the pedestal’s center."}
Concept: Ritual space as a mapped cosmos: correct placement (sthāna) and sequence (krama) are themselves carriers of efficacy (siddhi) and obstacle-removal.
Application: When setting up a home/temple pūjā, consciously mark threshold and NE for Gaṇeśa, keep the fire/diya locus for Guru remembrance, and stabilize attention by centering the main deity on a defined āsana.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Mandala/Nyasa and Deva-puja arrangement)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Ritual-space topology
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A shrine layout diagram comes to life: at the doorway and NE corner sits Gaṇeśa; near the fire altar the Guru is honored; at the center of the pedestal the main deity is enthroned on an āsana, forming a clear mandala of placements.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: temple interior with clear spatial cues—doorway, NE corner, central pīṭha; Gaṇeśa at the threshold with modest halo; a small agni-kunda with Guru worship; central deity seated on ornate āsana; symmetrical sacred geometry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central enthroned deity on jeweled āsana with gold leaf; Gaṇeśa at the doorway corner with gold halo; agni altar with Guru’s padukā or seated Guru; rich architectural frame and heavy ornamentation.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional floor-plan style painting—labeled positions (dvāra right/left, īśāna, agni, pīṭha-madhya); figures rendered delicately; emphasis on correct placement and sequence.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: palace-shrine room with precise architecture; Gaṇeśa near the entrance, a small fire altar with Guru reverence, and central deity on a pedestal; fine detailing of carpets, vessels, and spatial depth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ‘प्रभूतं चासनं’ = प्रभूतम् + च + आसनम् (म् + च; च + आ). स्थानवाचक-सप्तम्यः: द्वारि, दक्षे, वामपार्श्वे, ईशाने, अग्नौ, पीठमध्ये।
Related Themes: Agni Purana pūjā-maṇḍala and pīṭha/āsana discussions (where present); Agni Purana Gaṇeśa-pūjā preliminaries in ritual chapters (where present)
FAQs
It gives a placement-based pūjā sequence: worship Gaṇeśa with the bīja “aṁ” at specified loci (doorway/right/left/north-east), worship the Guru at the fire-altar, and worship the central deity on the pīṭha together with the āsana offering.
It preserves practical liturgical engineering—directional (dik) placement, bīja-mantra usage, altar/pedestal terminology (agni, pīṭha), and ordered worship—showing the text’s coverage of temple/household ritual procedure alongside its many other disciplines.
Correctly placing and honoring Gaṇeśa (obstacle-removal), the Guru (lineage authority), and the central deity with the āsana offering is taught as a way to ensure ritual completeness, purity, and unobstructed fruition of the worship.