Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 12
Chapter 229 — शकुनानि (Śakuna: Omens)
फलं घृटं दधि पयो अक्षतादर्शमाक्षिकं शङ्खं इक्षुः शुभं वाक्यं भक्तवादितगीतकं
phalaṃ ghṛṭaṃ dadhi payo akṣatādarśamākṣikaṃ śaṅkhaṃ ikṣuḥ śubhaṃ vākyaṃ bhaktavāditagītakaṃ
Fruit, ghee, curd, milk, unbroken rice (akṣata), a mirror, honey, a conch (śaṅkha), sugarcane, auspicious speech, and devotional instrumental music and singing—these are regarded as śubha (auspicious).
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Selecting auspicious offerings and sensory markers (speech, music) for pūjā, vrata, and household rites; also used in omen-reading for favorable signs.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Pūjā-maṅgalya: auspicious offerings and signs (fruit, ghee, curd, milk, akṣata, mirror, honey, conch, sugarcane, auspicious speech, bhakti-music)","lookup_keywords":["pūjā","maṅgalya","akṣata","śaṅkha","madhu"],"quick_summary":"A practical checklist of auspicious ritual items and positive auditory/verbal signs to include in worship and to recognize as favorable omens."}
Concept: Maṅgalya is cultivated through purity of offerings and uplifting speech/sound; outer auspiciousness supports inner steadiness in worship.
Application: For daily pūjā: offer fruit, ghee/curd/milk, akṣata, honey; sound the conch; maintain śubha-vākya and devotional music to set a sattvic atmosphere.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Ritual offerings and auspicious omens)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pūjā arrangement: fruit, ghee, curd, milk, akṣata in a bowl, a polished mirror, honey pot, conch, sugarcane stalks; devotees speaking auspicious words while musicians sing and play instruments in bhakti.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: temple pūjā scene with offering vessels (ghṛta, dadhi, payas, madhu), akṣata, mirror, śaṅkha, sugarcane; priests and devotees with restrained gestures; accompanying bhakti singers and percussion; warm sacred palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: richly ornamented altar with gold-leaf accents on conch and vessels; sugarcane and fruit in foreground; devotees in añjali; musical ensemble at side; luminous devotional finish.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: clean, didactic still-life of pūjā items labeled; secondary panel showing conch-blowing and devotional singing; delicate shading and precise outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: domestic shrine scene with detailed vessels and textiles; a conch and mirror on a tray; musicians performing softly; refined architectural interior and naturalistic fruit rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: akṣatādarśamākṣikaṃ = akṣata + ādarśa + mākṣika (ā + a sandhi); treated as a dvandva list in one neuter singular collective.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 229 (Māṅgalya-adhyāya)
FAQs
It enumerates auspicious substances and signs—common pūjā materials (fruit, ghee, curd, milk, akṣata, honey, conch, sugarcane) and favorable auditory/ verbal omens (good words, devotional song and music) to be sought or noted in ritual contexts.
By cataloguing practical ritual markers of auspiciousness—covering materials, sensory omens (sound/speech), and ceremonial objects—it functions like a handbook section within the Purana’s wide-ranging compendium of applied dharma and worship procedure.
Using and encountering auspicious items and benedictory signs is taught as supportive of śubha-karman (fortunate rites), promoting purity, favorable outcomes, and the smooth accomplishment (siddhi) of religious observances.