Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 17
Chapter 299 — ग्रहहृन्मन्त्रादिकम्
Grahahṛn-Mantras and Allied Procedures
स्वनामाद्यन्तु वीजास्ते हस्तौ संशोध्य चास्त्रतः विपिटनासिक इति ञ अङ्गुष्ठादौ तले नेत्रे हृदाद्यं व्यापकं न्यसेत्
svanāmādyantu vījāste hastau saṃśodhya cāstrataḥ vipiṭanāsika iti ña aṅguṣṭhādau tale netre hṛdādyaṃ vyāpakaṃ nyaset
Luego, comenzando por el propio nombre, deben colocarse (invocarse) las sílabas semilla (bīja); tras purificar ambas manos con el Astra-mantra, ha de ejecutarse la ‘vipiṭanāsikā’ (gesto de presionar/cerrar la nariz) con la sílaba ‘ña’. Después, debe realizarse el nyāsa del mantra omnipenetrante: desde el pulgar en adelante—en la palma, en los ojos, y desde el corazón en lo sucesivo.
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha in ritual/tantric procedure)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Perform mantra-nyasa: hand purification with astra-mantra, specific mudra/gesture (vipitanasika) with seed syllable, then install mantra on thumb/palm/eyes/heart etc. for ritual efficacy.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Nyasa-Vidhi: Kara-shuddhi by Astra and Anga-Nyasa from Thumb to Heart","lookup_keywords":["nyasa","astra-mantra","kara-shuddhi","vipitanasika","bija"],"quick_summary":"Purify hands with the astra-mantra, apply bija-syllables beginning with one’s name, perform the vipitanasika gesture with ‘ña’, then place the pervasive mantra on thumb/palm/eyes and heart onward as a standard tantric installation."}
Concept: Deha as mantra-mandala: installing sound (bija/mantra) onto bodily loci transforms the practitioner into a fit vessel for worship.
Application: Before japa/puja/homa, do kara-shuddhi and anga-nyasa to reduce distraction, mark boundaries (raksha), and align body-breath-mind with the deity-mantra.
Khanda Section: Mantra-nyasa and Tantra-vidhi (Ritual installation of mantras on the body)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A practitioner seated for worship, first touching/purifying both hands with an astra-mantra gesture, performing a nasal-pressing vipitanasika mudra with the bija ‘ña’, then touching thumb, palm, eyes, and heart points in sequence for nyasa.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: yogi/priest in simple attire before a small altar, hands shown in sequential mudras; stylized depiction of touching thumb/palm/eyes/heart; minimal props (kamandalu, lamp), bold outlines and earthy colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: seated devotee with gold-highlighted altar items (lamp, kalasha); hands in clear mudras; small inscriptions of bija syllables near touched body points; ornate frame with gold work.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore instructional plate: step-by-step nyasa sequence in one composition (or four vignettes): kara-shuddhi by astra, vipitanasika with ‘ña’, then thumb/palm/eyes/heart touches; clean lines and labeled loci.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a ritualist in a quiet chamber, performing precise hand gestures; delicate rendering of fingers touching eyes and heart; small calligraphic labels for bija/nyasa points; subdued palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वीजास्ते = बीजाः + ते (ः + त → स्त); चास्त्रतः = च + अस्त्रतः (vowel sandhi); हृदाद्यं = हृद् + आद्यम् (द् + आ → दा).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 299.13-14 (dhyana preceding nyasa); Agni Purana mantra-nyasa and mudra discussions in adjacent mantra-shastra sections
FAQs
It teaches a nyāsa sequence: purify the hands using the Astra-mantra, apply a specified mudrā/gesture (vipiṭanāsikā) with the syllable ‘ña’, and then install an all-pervading mantra across bodily loci (thumb/fingers, palm, eyes, heart onward).
Beyond mythic narration, it preserves precise operational details of mantra-sādhana—hand-purification, bīja usage, gesture terminology, and bodily placement (nyāsa)—showing the text’s coverage of applied ritual technology alongside other sciences.
The sequence functions as ritual purification and protective consecration: it sanctifies the practitioner’s body as a mantra-seat, reduces ritual impurity/obstacles, and is intended to make subsequent worship or sādhana efficacious and safeguarded.