Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 19
Chapter 21 — सामान्यपूजाकथनम्
Teaching on General Worship
राहुः केतुस्तेजश् चण्डः सङ्क्षेपादथ पूजनं आसनं मूर्तये मूलं हृदाद्यं परिचारकः
rāhuḥ ketustejaś caṇḍaḥ saṅkṣepādatha pūjanaṃ āsanaṃ mūrtaye mūlaṃ hṛdādyaṃ paricārakaḥ
Rāhu et Ketu—également invoqués comme Tejas et Caṇḍa—: tel est, en bref, leur culte. (On offre) le siège à la forme de la divinité ; (on récite) le mantra-racine (mūla) et le nyāsa commençant au cœur (hṛd-ādi) ; et l’on invoque les divinités servantes (paricāraka).
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Jyotisha","practical_application":"Brief procedure for Rāhu–Ketu worship within navagraha context: āsana offering, mūrti establishment, mūla-mantra japa, hṛd-ādi nyāsa, and attendant-deity invocation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Rāhu–Ketu pūjanasaṅkṣepa: āsana, mūla, hṛd-ādi nyāsa, paricāraka","lookup_keywords":["Rahu Ketu puja","Tejas Caṇḍa","mūla-mantra","hṛd-ādi nyāsa","paricāraka devatā"],"quick_summary":"Summarizes the essential steps for worshipping Rāhu and Ketu: seat offering, root-mantra, heart-onward nyāsa, and honoring attendant powers. Used in graha-śānti and navagraha pūjā sequences."}
Concept: Even ‘shadow’ grahas are integrated into dharmic worship through orderly ritual steps—seat, mantra, nyāsa, and attendants—transforming fear into regulated devotion.
Application: Use the concise sequence as a checklist in graha-śānti, especially when time-bound (e.g., eclipse observances).
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Navagraha/Jyotisha-related worship and mantra-nyasa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A navagraha altar where Rāhu and Ketu are invoked with offerings: a seat placed before their icons/yantras, the worshipper performs heart-to-limb nyāsa, and attendant deities are honored around.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Rāhu and Ketu as powerful shadow deities flanking a central altar; priest performing hṛdaya-nyāsa; attendants as small subsidiary figures; dark blues/greens with fiery accents.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: two-panel composition with Rāhu and Ketu in ornate frames; gold work emphasizing their halos; ritual items (āsana cloth, flowers, lamps) in foreground; attendants in miniature niches.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: stepwise instructional scene—(1) āsana offering, (2) mūla-mantra japa, (3) hṛd-ādi nyāsa, (4) paricāraka offerings—arranged as four vignettes with captions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: eclipse-night ambience with a small shrine; Rāhu–Ketu symbols subtly in the sky; worshipper performing nyāsa; attendants depicted as small guardian figures; fine detailing of lamps and offerings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"focused","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: केतुस्तेजः = केतुः + तेजः (विसर्ग-लोप).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 21 (navagraha pūjā sequence; nyāsa beginning with hṛdaya)
FAQs
It outlines a compact Rahu–Ketu pūjā sequence: offer āsana to the mūrti, apply the mūla-mantra, perform hṛd-ādi nyāsa (heart and related placements), and acknowledge/invoke the paricārakas (attendant deities).
It exemplifies the Purana’s manual-like coverage of specialized ritual technology—graha (planetary/node) propitiation, mantra procedure, and nyāsa—alongside its many other domains (polity, medicine, architecture, poetics).
Rāhu–Ketu propitiation and nyāsa-based worship are aimed at graha-śānti—reducing eclipse-node afflictions, removing obstacles, and securing ritual purity and steadiness of mind through disciplined invocation.