Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 10
अधिवासनं नाम निर्वाणदीक्षायाम्
Adhivāsana in the Nirvāṇa-dīkṣā
शुक्लाम्बरादिकमिति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः अस्मल्लब्धपञ्चपुस्तकेषु दध्यार्द्रमांसमद्यादेरित्यारभ्य होमो घोरेण शान्तये इत्य् अन्तः पाठः पूर्वेणानन्वित इव प्रतिभाति पाशसूत्रं समाहरेदिति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः स्वदक्षिणोर्ध्वकायस्य शिष्यस्याभ्यर्चितस्य च तच्छिखायां निबध्नीयात् पादाङ्गुष्ठावलम्बितं
śuklāmbarādikamiti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ asmallabdhapañcapustakeṣu dadhyārdramāṃsamadyāderityārabhya homo ghoreṇa śāntaye ity antaḥ pāṭhaḥ pūrveṇānanvita iva pratibhāti pāśasūtraṃ samāharediti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ svadakṣiṇordhvakāyasya śiṣyasyābhyarcitasya ca tacchikhāyāṃ nibadhnīyāt pādāṅguṣṭhāvalambitaṃ
„(Beginnend mit) śuklāmbarādikam“—so lautet die Lesart der kollationierten Handschrift mit der Kennzeichnung Kha. In den fünf uns vorliegenden Handschriften findet sich eine innere Einschaltung, die mit „(von) Joghurt/Quark, rohem Fleisch, Alkohol und dergleichen…“ beginnt und mit „…ein Homa wird zur Befriedung der schrecklichen (Einflüsse) vollzogen“ endet; doch scheint diese eingefügte Passage nicht glatt an den vorhergehenden Text anzuschließen. „Man soll das pāśa-sūtra (Schlingenband) zusammennehmen,“—so lautet die Lesart der kollationierten Handschrift mit der Kennzeichnung Ṅa. (Nach dieser Lesart) soll man es in die śikhā (Haarquaste) des bereits verehrten Schülers auf der rechten/oberen Seite seines Körpers binden und es bis zum großen Zeh herabhängen lassen.
Lord Agni (narrative voice; here preserved as a critical-note style pāṭha-bheda in the transmission)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Provides textual-variant handling (pāṭhabheda) and a concrete ritual instruction: tying the pāśa-sūtra to the disciple’s śikhā on the right/upper side, letting it hang to the great toe—useful for correct performance and manuscript-based reconstruction.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Pāṭhabheda note and pāśa-sūtra bandhana to the disciple’s śikhā","lookup_keywords":["pāṭhabheda","chihnita-pustaka","pāśa-sūtra","śikhā-bandhana","pādāṅguṣṭha"],"quick_summary":"Records manuscript readings and notes an interpolated passage; adopts a variant that instructs tying the pāśa-sūtra into the disciple’s śikhā on the right/upper side so it hangs down to the great toe."}
Concept: Authority in practice depends on reliable transmission; variant readings must be weighed for coherence (anvaya) and ritual applicability.
Application: When performing or editing ritual texts, prefer readings that connect syntactically and preserve the rite’s operational steps (e.g., pāśa-sūtra bandhana).
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Mantra-vidhi (Ritual procedure and textual variants)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher-priest, after worshipping the disciple, ties a ritual cord into the disciple’s śikhā on the right/upper side; the cord hangs down to the disciple’s great toe, while manuscripts/folios lie nearby indicating variant readings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, guru and disciple in ritual setting, visible śikhā, cord tied and hanging to toe, palm-leaf manuscripts on a low stand, subdued sacred palette, didactic calm","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold accents on ritual cord and ornaments, guru tying pāśa-sūtra to disciple’s śikhā, manuscripts depicted with ornate borders, temple-pillared background","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear instructional depiction of where to tie (right/upper side), cord length reaching great toe, minimal background, manuscript folios shown for textual-variant theme","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate scholarly-ritual scene, fine detail of hair tuft and cord, manuscripts and inkpot, patterned carpet, delicate linework"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: This item is a critical-note passage with manuscript markers (ख, ङ). Sandhi resolved: śuklāmbarādikam = शुक्ल-अम्बर-आदिकम्; cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ = चिह्नित-पुस्तक-पाठः; asmallabdhapañcapustakeṣu = अस्मत्-लब्ध-पञ्च-पुस्तकेषु; dadhyārdramāṃsamadyādeḥ = दधि-आर्द्र-मांस-मद्य-आदेः; ityārabhya = इति + आरभ्य; pūrveṇānanvita = पूर्वेण + अनन्वितः; śiṣyasyābhyarcitasya = शिष्यस्य + अभ्यर्चितस्य; tacchikhāyāṃ = तत् + शिखायाम्; pādāṅguṣṭhāvalambitam = पाद-अङ्गुष्ठ-अवलम्बितम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Puja-vidhi: śiṣya-saṃskāra and protective bindings; Agni Purana Mantra-vidhi: śikhā/nyāsa related instructions
FAQs
It preserves practical ritual instructions and their manuscript variants: an inserted passage prescribing a homa for śānti (pacification) of ‘ghora’ influences, and a specific procedure using a pāśa-sūtra (noose-cord) tied into a disciple’s śikhā so that it hangs down toward the great toe.
Beyond giving ritual technique (homa/śānti and the use of cords, body-positioning, and śikhā-tying), it also reflects the Purana’s transmission as a living manual—recording pāṭha-bheda (variant readings) across manuscripts, which is characteristic of encyclopedic compendia used in practice.
The homa is framed as śānti-karma—an appeasement rite intended to neutralize harmful or ‘terrible’ influences; the pāśa-sūtra act functions as a controlled ritual binding/guarding measure, symbolically restraining negativity and stabilizing the disciple within the rite.