Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 22

Chapter 290 — गजशान्तिः

Gaja-śānti: Elephant-Pacification Rite

Devanagari script

शालास्वसौ स्थण्डिले ऽब्जे दिकपालादीन् यजेद्वहिः केशरेषु बलं नागं भुवञ्चैच सरस्वतीं

Transliteration

śālāsvasau sthaṇḍile 'bje dikapālādīn yajedvahiḥ keśareṣu balaṃ nāgaṃ bhuvañcaica sarasvatīṃ

Translation

En el recinto ritual, sobre el maṇḍala de loto, debe adorarse a los Dikpālas (guardianes de las direcciones) y a los demás; y fuera, sobre los filamentos o pétalos, debe adorarse a Bala, Nāga, Bhuva y asimismo a Sarasvatī.

Word by Word

• शालासु: in the halls/sheds
• शालासु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• असौ: this/that (he)
• असौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• स्थण्डिले: on the ground/earthen platform
• स्थण्डिले: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthaṇḍila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• अब्जे: on/in the lotus
• अब्जे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• दिकपाल-आदीन्: the guardians of the directions and others
• दिकपाल-आदीन्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dik (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) compound: दिक्पाल + आदि; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Plural (बहुवचन)

• यजेत्: should worship/sacrifice to
• यजेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yaj (धातु)
• Form: Tinganta (तिङन्त), Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्/optative), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• वहिः: outside
• वहिः: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vahiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• केशरेषु: on the filaments (of the lotus)
• केशरेषु: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• बलम्: strength/offering named Bala
• बलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• नागम्: Nāga (serpent/elephant deity-name)
• नागम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• भुवम्: the Earth
• भुवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), conjunction (समुच्चय)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Nipata (निपात/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक)

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narration to a sage interlocutor, commonly Vasiṣṭha)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: śālāsvasau = śālās(u) + asau; 'bje = abje (a- elision after avagraha); dikapālādīn = dikapāla + ādīn; yajedvahiḥ = yajet + vahiḥ; bhuvañcaica = bhuvam + ca + eva (orthographic variant 'caica').

Characters & Entities

• Dikpālas
• Bala
• Nāga
• Bhuva
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What technical or ritual knowledge (Vidya) is imparted in this verse?

It gives a placement-based worship instruction: in a lotus-maṇḍala on the ritual ground, worship the Dikpālas in the central scheme, and place specific attendant powers (Bala, Nāga, Bhuva, Sarasvatī) on the outer/petal-filament positions.

How does this verse contribute to the 'Encyclopedic' nature of the Agni Purana?

Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana preserves practical ritual engineering—diagrammatic deity-allocation (maṇḍala/nyāsa logic), showing it functions as a manual for temple/household worship procedures alongside its many other disciplines.

What is the spiritual or karmic significance of this specific instruction?

Correctly situating deities in the maṇḍala is held to harmonize directional forces and invoke protective and auspicious powers, supporting purification and the successful fruition (siddhi) of the rite.