Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 6
Chapter 100 — द्वारप्रतिष्ठाकथनम्
Dvāra-pratiṣṭhā-kathana: Procedure for Door Consecration
द्वारमुत्तरतः किञ्चिदाश्रितं सन्निवेशयेत् आत्मतत्त्वमधो न्यस्य विद्यातत्त्वञ्च शाखयोः
dvāramuttarataḥ kiñcidāśritaṃ sanniveśayet ātmatattvamadho nyasya vidyātattvañca śākhayoḥ
On doit disposer la porte avec une légère inclinaison vers le nord. Ayant placé en bas l’ātma-tattva, le principe du Soi, on placera le vidyā-tattva, le principe de la Connaissance, sur les deux montants latéraux (les deux « branches »).
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s vāstu/ritual-technical section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Architectural layout guidance: orienting/setting the doorway with a slight northern bias and performing symbolic tattva-nyāsa on structural members to sacralize the built space.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Uttara-āśrita Dvāra-sanniveśa and Tattva-nyāsa (Ātma below, Vidyā on flanks)","lookup_keywords":["dvāra-uttara","sanniveśa","tattva-nyāsa","ātma-tattva","vidyā-tattva"],"quick_summary":"Place the doorway slightly toward the north and consecrate the structure by assigning ātma-tattva to the base and vidyā-tattva to the two side members, integrating orientation with metaphysical symbolism."}
Concept: Built form mirrors inner metaphysics: the base as ātman-foundation and the flanks as vidyā-supports; orientation becomes a carrier of meaning.
Application: In temple/maṇḍapa design, align entrances with prescribed directional bias and incorporate consecratory nyāsa to encode doctrinal symbolism into architecture.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-Śāstra (Temple/Maṇḍapa Layout and Symbolic Installation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A temple/maṇḍapa plan with the doorway drawn slightly toward the north; a priest marking the base with ‘ātma-tattva’ and the two door-jambs with ‘vidyā-tattva’ using sandal paste/akṣata.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, schematic yet ornate doorway with northern arrow, priest applying marks on threshold and jambs, stylized tattva symbols, flat colors, strong outlines, sacred architectural ambiance","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted doorway frame, priest placing sacred marks on base and flanks, decorative compass/dik symbols, rich temple interior, luminous consecration mood","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional architectural diagram blended with scene: clear north indicator, doorway offset, labels for ātma-tattva and vidyā-tattva, soft colors, precise lines","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, architect and priest examining a drawn plan, doorway shown with slight northern inclination, attendants holding measuring cords, fine detail and perspective"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्वारमुत्तरतः = द्वारम् + उत्तरतः; किञ्चिदाश्रितं = किञ्चित् + आश्रितम्; विद्यातत्त्वञ्च = विद्या-तत्त्वम् + च
Related Themes: Agni Purana Vāstu-Śāstra portions on dvāra-lakṣaṇa, dik-nirṇaya, and maṇḍapa-vinyāsa (same khanda context); Agni Purana tantra/nyāsa instructions applied to physical supports (parallel nyāsa logic)
FAQs
It gives a vāstu rule for positioning the entrance slightly toward the north and prescribes a symbolic tattva-placement (nyāsa): ātma-tattva below and vidyā-tattva on the two flanking members.
It shows the text combining practical architectural layout (door orientation) with ritual-metaphysical mapping (tattva-nyāsa), illustrating how the Agni Purāṇa integrates building science, ritual procedure, and philosophy.
Aligning the entrance and installing tattvas sacralizes the structure: the ‘foundation’ is grounded in ātman, while ‘knowledge’ is ritually established at the sides, aiming to harmonize the space for auspiciousness and purity of use.