Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 23
Chapter 21 — सामान्यपूजाकथनम्
Teaching on General Worship
श्रीं श्रीर्महालक्ष्मीतार्क्ष्यो गुरुरिन्द्रादयो ऽर्चनम् सरस्वत्यासनं मूर्तिरौं ह्रीं दधी सरस्वती
śrīṃ śrīrmahālakṣmītārkṣyo gururindrādayo 'rcanam sarasvatyāsanaṃ mūrtirauṃ hrīṃ dadhī sarasvatī
« La bīja śrīṃ est Śrī (Lakṣmī), Mahālakṣmī, Tārkṣya (Garuḍa), le Guru, et Indra avec les autres — (tous) à honorer par l’arcanā. Le siège (āsana) et la forme (mūrti) de Sarasvatī sont invoqués par les bījas auṃ et hrīṃ. “Dadhī” (caillé/curd) est l’offrande ou le signe de Sarasvatī. »
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Stotra","practical_application":"Bīja-to-devatā mapping for arcana; includes āvaraṇa (Lakṣmī, Mahālakṣmī, Garuḍa, Guru, Indra etc.), Sarasvatī-āsana/mūrti invocation, and offering marker (dadhī).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Bīja-devatā Associations and Offerings in Arcana (Śrīṃ, Auṃ, Hrīṃ; Dadhī for Sarasvatī)","lookup_keywords":["śrīṃ bīja","Mahālakṣmī","Tārkṣya Garuḍa","Sarasvatī āsana mūrti","dadhī offering"],"quick_summary":"Use śrīṃ to invoke Śrī/Lakṣmī and related worship set (Mahālakṣmī, Garuḍa, Guru, Indra etc.); invoke Sarasvatī’s seat and form with auṃ and hrīṃ, and offer curd as her sign/offering."}
Concept: Bīja-mantra as devatā-sūcaka (seed as pointer to deity) and upacāra-niyama (appropriate offering/sign).
Application: During pūjā, align bīja with the intended devatā and choose congruent upacāra (e.g., dadhī for Sarasvatī) to maintain ritual coherence.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Mantra, Nyasa, and Devata-archana)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pūjā arrangement showing Lakṣmī’s śrīṃ invocation and Sarasvatī’s āsana/mūrti invocation with auṃ and hrīṃ; a small bowl of curd (dadhī) placed as Sarasvatī’s offering, with Garuḍa, Guru, and Indra as attendant worship targets.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, shrine interior with Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī panels, priest performing arcana, visible offering bowl of curd, Garuḍa motif near Viṣṇu side, traditional lamps and lotus borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī as paired icons with gold-leaf halos, embossed ornaments, offering tray prominently featuring dadhī in a silver bowl, mantra syllables śrīṃ auṃ hrīṃ subtly in border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional pūjā diagram: labeled positions for Lakṣmī/Mahālakṣmī, Garuḍa, Guru, Indra; Sarasvatī āsana and mūrti indicated; dadhī offering highlighted; neat linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar-priest in a library-temple setting performing Sarasvatī worship, manuscripts and veena nearby, small bowl of curd on a tray, delicate architectural details and patterned carpets"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Saraswati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्रीर्महालक्ष्मी… → श्रीः + महालक्ष्मी…; गुरुरिन्द्रादयः → गुरुḥ + इन्द्रादयः; ऽर्चनम् → अर्चनम् (अवग्रहः = अ-लोप-सूचक).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Puja-vidhi sections on bīja-nyāsa and devatā-āvaraṇa; Agni Purana: Sarasvatī/Lakṣmī stotra-mantra passages
FAQs
It lists specific mantra-bījas (śrīṃ, auṃ, hrīṃ), the deities linked to them, and the archana/invocation elements—especially Sarasvatī’s āsana and mūrti—and indicates a ritual offering marker (dadhī/curd) for Sarasvatī.
It functions like a compact ritual manual entry: mapping seeds, deities, and worship components (archana, āsana, mūrti, offering). Such catalog-style instructions are characteristic of the Agni Purāṇa’s wide-ranging, procedural coverage of pūjā and mantra practice.
Correctly aligning bīja-mantras, deity-invocation (āsana/mūrti), and proper offerings is presented in Purāṇic ritual logic as producing siddhi in learning and speech (Sarasvatī) and prosperity/auspiciousness (Śrī/Lakṣmī), while purifying the worshipper through orderly devotion.