Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 21
नगरादिवास्तुकथनं
Discourse on Vāstu for Cities and Related Settlements
भद्रे तुल्यञ्च वीथीभिर्द्वारवीथी विनाग्रतः श्रीजयं पृष्ठतो हीनं भद्रोयं पार्श् चयोर्विना
bhadre tulyañca vīthībhirdvāravīthī vināgrataḥ śrījayaṃ pṛṣṭhato hīnaṃ bhadroyaṃ pārś cayorvinā
Dans la disposition Bhadrā, la rue de la porte (dvāra-vīthī) doit être d’une largeur égale à celle des autres rues, mais sans avancée frontale (agra). L’agencement Śrī-jaya est déficient à l’arrière ; cette forme Bhadrā ne comporte aucune extension latérale de part et d’autre.
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, as the Agni Purāṇa’s primary narrator)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Shilpa","practical_application":"Town-plan typology selection and street/gateway alignment rules for an auspicious and functional settlement grid.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Bhadrā and Śrī-jaya street-layout characteristics","lookup_keywords":["Bhadrā","dvāra-vīthī","Śrī-jaya","vīthī","pura-vinyāsa"],"quick_summary":"Defines how the gateway-street should match other streets in the Bhadrā layout while avoiding a projecting front, and notes the Śrī-jaya variant’s rear deficiency and lack of side-extensions."}
Concept: Rūpa (form) and niyama (rule) in built space produce predictable auspicious/inauspicious outcomes.
Application: Use typological constraints (front projection, side-extensions, rear completeness) to choose a layout suited to patron goals and site constraints.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra (Architecture & Town/House Planning)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A schematic town-grid showing equal streets, a gateway-street aligned without a projecting front, and annotations marking missing rear/side extensions for variants.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, ochre-red background, stylized aerial mandala-like town plan with labeled vīthīs and dvāra-vīthī, traditional linework, minimal shading, temple-architect scribes pointing to the plan.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf borders framing a geometric town-plan diagram, embossed labels for Bhadrā and Śrī-jaya, rich reds and greens, ornamental corner motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, clean instructional diagram on parchment-like ground, precise measured streets, calligraphic Sanskrit labels, architect-teacher figure demonstrating the non-projecting agra rule.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, top-down city plan on a folio with fine ruled lines, marginal notes in nastaʿlīq-like ornament, planners in court attire discussing the gateway alignment."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tulyañca → tulyam + ca; vīthībhirdvāravīthī → vīthībhiḥ + dvāra-vīthī; bhadroyaṃ → bhadraḥ + ayam; cayorvinā (as transmitted) resolved as ca + ubhayor + vinā; pāda has some textual irregularity.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 105 (Vāstu-śāstra: pura-vinyāsa and vīthī-lakṣaṇa sections)
FAQs
It gives a vāstu-technical rule for planning the dvāra-vīthī (approach/gateway street): in the Bhadrā scheme it should match other streets in proportion, avoid a forward projection, and specifies how Bhadrā and Śrī-jaya differ by rear and side extensions.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purāṇa preserves applied architectural standards—named plan-types (Bhadrā, Śrī-jaya) and measurable spatial features (front projection, rear deficiency, side extensions)—showing its coverage of practical urban/ritual-space design.
In Purāṇic vāstu thought, correct alignment and proportion of entrances and streets supports auspicious flow (śrī) and reduces doṣa (inauspicious defects), thereby safeguarding prosperity and ritual efficacy in the built space.