Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 14
Worship by Limb-Syllables
Aṅgākṣara-arcana
वासुदेवादयः पूज्याश् चत्वारो दिक्षु मूर्तयः विदिक्षु श्रीसरस्वत्यै रतिशान्त्यै च पूजयेत्
vāsudevādayaḥ pūjyāś catvāro dikṣu mūrtayaḥ vidikṣu śrīsarasvatyai ratiśāntyai ca pūjayet
Les quatre formes commençant par Vāsudeva doivent être honorées, établies dans les quatre directions cardinales ; et dans les directions intermédiaires, on doit aussi honorer Śrī (Lakṣmī), Sarasvatī, Rati et Śānti.
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha in ritual procedure)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Directional (dik/vidik) worship mapping: place Vāsudeva and allied four vyūha-forms in cardinal directions; worship Śrī, Sarasvatī, Rati, Śānti in intercardinal directions for complete maṇḍala-pūjā.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Dik-vidik maṇḍala worship of Vyūhas and Śaktis","lookup_keywords":["Vāsudeva","dikpūjā","vidik","Śrī","Sarasvatī"],"quick_summary":"Worship the four directional forms beginning with Vāsudeva in the cardinal directions, and worship Śrī, Sarasvatī, Rati, and Śānti in the intermediate directions to complete the ritual field."}
Concept: The deity is approached as a complete sacred field (maṇḍala) where directions are sacralized by specific forms/powers.
Application: In pūjā space, mark directions (east/south/west/north and corners) and mentally/physically assign these forms to prevent confusion in parivāra-arcana.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Murti-nyasa & Dikpala-style directional worship)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A square maṇḍala around a central altar: four Viṣṇu forms placed at the cardinal points, and four goddesses—Śrī, Sarasvatī, Rati, Śānti—at the corners/intercardinal points, each receiving offerings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, symmetrical maṇḍala layout with eight surrounding deities, bold outlines, saturated reds/ochres/greens, lamps at the four sides, ritual atmosphere","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Viṣṇu focus with surrounding directional deities in medallions, heavy gold work on halos and ornaments, corner goddesses richly adorned","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic clarity: labeled cardinal/intercardinal placements, refined linework, gentle colors, instructional depiction of offerings at each station","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, top-down shrine courtyard composition showing directional placements, attendants offering flowers, fine architectural geometry, calligraphic labels for each deity"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vāsudevādayaḥ resolved as vāsudeva-ādayaḥ; śrīsarasvatyai as śrī-sarasvatyai; ratiśāntyai treated as dvandva compound in dative singular.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 302.15; Agni Purana 302.12
FAQs
It prescribes a directional worship layout: the four Vyūha-forms beginning with Vāsudeva are installed/worshipped in the cardinal directions, while Śrī, Sarasvatī, Rati, and Śānti are worshipped in the inter-cardinal directions—guiding mandala-style placement in pūjā.
It exemplifies the Agni Purana’s practical ritual-technology: mapping specific deities to spatial directions (dik/vidik), a key feature of temple-ritual manuals, iconography, and Vāstu-informed worship systems included alongside many other sciences.
Directional worship sacralizes space into an ordered mandala, aiming at harmony, protection, and auspiciousness; invoking Śrī, Sarasvatī, Rati, and Śānti specifically aligns the rite with prosperity, knowledge, concord/attraction, and peace.