Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 12
Chapter 323 — The Six-Limbed Aghora Astras (षडङ्गान्यघोरस्त्राणि)
आप्यायने वषट्कारं पुष्टौ वौषन्नियोजयेत् चकारद्वितयस्थाने जातियोगन्तु कारयेत्
āpyāyane vaṣaṭkāraṃ puṣṭau vauṣanniyojayet cakāradvitayasthāne jātiyogantu kārayet
For rites intended for nourishment or refreshment (āpyāyana), one should employ the exclamation “vaṣaṭ”; for rites aimed at prosperity and augmentation (puṣṭi), one should employ “vauṣaṭ”. And where a double “ca” (cakāra-dvitaya) would occur, one should instead effect the junction by means of the appropriate class-letter (jāti-yoga).
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s technical sections)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Correct deployment of ritual exclamations (vaṣaṭ/vauṣaṭ) by rite-intent, and phonetic sandhi guidance (jāti-yoga) to avoid faulty mantra recitation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Ritual interjections and phonetic junction: vaṣaṭ, vauṣaṭ, and jāti-yoga","lookup_keywords":["vaṣaṭ","vauṣaṭ","āpyāyana","puṣṭi","jāti-yoga"],"quick_summary":"Maps specific homa-exclamations to ritual goals (nourishment vs prosperity) and prescribes a phonetic substitution rule to maintain correct euphony in mantra text."}
Concept: Śabda (correct sound) is instrumental power in ritual; intent (saṅkalpa) governs mantra-appendages like vaṣaṭ/vauṣaṭ.
Application: Choose the correct exclamation by ritual purpose and maintain phonetic integrity to avoid mantra-doṣa and to align sound with intended fruit.
Khanda Section: Chandas & Vyakarana (Prosody/Phonetics and Ritual Utterances)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher-priest instructs students: writing vaṣaṭ for āpyāyana and vauṣaṭ for puṣṭi on palm-leaf, demonstrating sandhi where double 'ca' is replaced by a class-letter junction (jāti-yoga).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, guru teaching mantra-phonetics beside a homa altar, palm-leaf manuscripts, students seated, restrained palette, iconic frontal figures","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, seated guru with manuscript and stylus, small homa fire, gold highlights on sacred syllables ‘vaṣaṭ’ and ‘vauṣaṭ’ inscribed prominently","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, technical instructional scene: close-up of palm-leaf text showing sandhi/jāti-yoga, guru pointing with stylus, neat arrangement of ritual tools","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholarly lesson in a library-like setting, manuscripts open with Devanagari syllables, teacher explaining phonetic junctions, fine detail"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":"Saraswati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वषट्कारं = वषट्-कारम्; वौषन्नियोजयेत् = वौषन् + नियोजयेत्; चकारद्वितयस्थाने = च-कार-द्वितय-स्थाने; जातियोगन्तु = जाति-योगम् + तु.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 323 (homa/mantra rules in Śānti-kalpa)
FAQs
It prescribes which sacrificial exclamation to use—“vaṣaṭ” for āpyāyana (nourishing rites) and “vauṣaṭ” for puṣṭi (prosperity-strengthening rites)—and gives a phonetic rule (jāti-yoga) to avoid or replace an awkward double ‘ca’ by class-based letter-junction.
It shows the text functioning like a technical manual: alongside theology, it preserves precise operational details of mantra-recitation and phonetic/grammatical handling (sandhi-type rules) used in ritual performance.
Correct ritual utterance and correct phonetic joining are treated as essential to mantra efficacy; using the proper vaṣaṭ/vauṣaṭ and proper sound-connection is intended to secure the intended result (nourishment or prosperity) without mantra-fault (doṣa).