Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 12
Chapter 229 — शकुनानि (Śakuna: Omens)
फलं घृटं दधि पयो अक्षतादर्शमाक्षिकं शङ्खं इक्षुः शुभं वाक्यं भक्तवादितगीतकं
phalaṃ ghṛṭaṃ dadhi payo akṣatādarśamākṣikaṃ śaṅkhaṃ ikṣuḥ śubhaṃ vākyaṃ bhaktavāditagītakaṃ
Fruit, ghee, caillé (dadhi), lait, riz intact (akṣata), miroir, miel, conque (śaṅkha), canne à sucre, paroles de bon augure, et musique instrumentale et chant dévotionnels — tout cela est tenu pour śubha (auspicieux).
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Selecting auspicious offerings and sensory markers (speech, music) for pūjā, vrata, and household rites; also used in omen-reading for favorable signs.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Pūjā-maṅgalya: auspicious offerings and signs (fruit, ghee, curd, milk, akṣata, mirror, honey, conch, sugarcane, auspicious speech, bhakti-music)","lookup_keywords":["pūjā","maṅgalya","akṣata","śaṅkha","madhu"],"quick_summary":"A practical checklist of auspicious ritual items and positive auditory/verbal signs to include in worship and to recognize as favorable omens."}
Concept: Maṅgalya is cultivated through purity of offerings and uplifting speech/sound; outer auspiciousness supports inner steadiness in worship.
Application: For daily pūjā: offer fruit, ghee/curd/milk, akṣata, honey; sound the conch; maintain śubha-vākya and devotional music to set a sattvic atmosphere.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Ritual offerings and auspicious omens)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pūjā arrangement: fruit, ghee, curd, milk, akṣata in a bowl, a polished mirror, honey pot, conch, sugarcane stalks; devotees speaking auspicious words while musicians sing and play instruments in bhakti.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: temple pūjā scene with offering vessels (ghṛta, dadhi, payas, madhu), akṣata, mirror, śaṅkha, sugarcane; priests and devotees with restrained gestures; accompanying bhakti singers and percussion; warm sacred palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: richly ornamented altar with gold-leaf accents on conch and vessels; sugarcane and fruit in foreground; devotees in añjali; musical ensemble at side; luminous devotional finish.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: clean, didactic still-life of pūjā items labeled; secondary panel showing conch-blowing and devotional singing; delicate shading and precise outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: domestic shrine scene with detailed vessels and textiles; a conch and mirror on a tray; musicians performing softly; refined architectural interior and naturalistic fruit rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: akṣatādarśamākṣikaṃ = akṣata + ādarśa + mākṣika (ā + a sandhi); treated as a dvandva list in one neuter singular collective.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 229 (Māṅgalya-adhyāya)
FAQs
It enumerates auspicious substances and signs—common pūjā materials (fruit, ghee, curd, milk, akṣata, honey, conch, sugarcane) and favorable auditory/ verbal omens (good words, devotional song and music) to be sought or noted in ritual contexts.
By cataloguing practical ritual markers of auspiciousness—covering materials, sensory omens (sound/speech), and ceremonial objects—it functions like a handbook section within the Purana’s wide-ranging compendium of applied dharma and worship procedure.
Using and encountering auspicious items and benedictory signs is taught as supportive of śubha-karman (fortunate rites), promoting purity, favorable outcomes, and the smooth accomplishment (siddhi) of religious observances.