Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 28
नगरादिवास्तुकथनं
Discourse on Vāstu for Cities and Related Settlements
र्नास्ति प्रकरणान्तरीयपाथोयमत्र लेखकभ्रमात् समागत इति भाति गृहशल्याख्यमिति ख पूर्वशाखाविहीनमिति ङ याम्ये हीने भवेच्चुल्ली त्रिशास्त्रं दितितत्परमिति झ याम्ये हीने भवेच्छत्री त्रिशालं वित्तहृत्परमिति ग इन्द्रादिक्रमतो वच्मि ध्वजाद्यष्टौ गृहाण्यहं प्रक्षालानुस्रगावासमग्नौ तस्य महानसं
rnāsti prakaraṇāntarīyapāthoyamatra lekhakabhramāt samāgata iti bhāti gṛhaśalyākhyamiti kha pūrvaśākhāvihīnamiti ṅa yāmye hīne bhaveccullī triśāstraṃ dititatparamiti jha yāmye hīne bhavecchatrī triśālaṃ vittahṛtparamiti ga indrādikramato vacmi dhvajādyaṣṭau gṛhāṇyahaṃ prakṣālānusragāvāsamagnau tasya mahānasaṃ
« Cela semble être une leçon relevant d’un autre sujet, entrée ici par la confusion d’un copiste — ainsi cela paraît. » (Leçons variantes :) « appelée gṛha-śalya (défaut de la maison, comme une “écharde/corps étranger”) » (kha) ; « dépourvue d’aile/branche orientale » (ṅa). « Si le côté sud est déficient, il y aura une cullī (foyer) ; le “triśāstra” est principalement associé à la lignée de Diti (néfaste) » (jha). « Si le côté sud est déficient, il y aura une chattrī (pavillon à dais) ; le triśālā incline à la perte de richesse » (ga). « Selon l’ordre commençant par Indra, j’énoncerai les huit types de maisons à partir de Dhvaja : Prakṣāla, Anusraga, Āvāsa, Agni ; et, pour cette maison d’Agni, le mahānasa (grande cuisine). »
Lord Agni (Agni Purana’s primary narrator) addressing the sage Vasiṣṭha (standard dialogue frame for the text’s instructional sections)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Text-critical and practical vāstu use: recognize scribal interpolation/variant readings; then apply the eight-house typology (dhvaja-ādi) and functional room placement (kitchen in agni-house).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Pāṭha-bheda note and dhvaja-ādi aṣṭa-gṛha list (with agni-house kitchen)","lookup_keywords":["pāṭha-bheda","gṛha-śalya","dhvaja","aṣṭa-gṛha","mahānasa"],"quick_summary":"The passage flags a likely scribal intrusion and records variant readings; it then proceeds to enumerate eight house-types beginning with Dhvaja and notes the kitchen (mahānasa) for the Agni-type house."}
Concept: Śāstra requires reliable transmission; where readings conflict, one must discriminate (viveka) before applying rules to construction.
Application: When consulting manuscripts/traditions for vāstu decisions, compare readings; prefer coherent context; document variants before implementation.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra (Gṛha-lakṣaṇa, Gṛha-doṣa, and domestic architectural omens)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scholar-vāstu expert compares palm-leaf manuscripts, noting variant readings, then draws a chart of eight house-types starting with Dhvaja and marks the Agni-house with a kitchen (mahānasa).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two scribes with palm-leaf bundles, a central diagram of eight house icons labeled dhvaja etc., agni-house highlighted with hearth symbol, flat iconic style","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold borders around manuscript bundles and the eight-house chart, seated ācārya with stylus, agni-house panel with glowing kitchen lamp","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, crisp instructional chart of aṣṭa-gṛha, marginal notes showing variant readings (kha/ṅa/jha/ga), calm scholarly interior","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, manuscript collation scene in a library, detailed calligraphy, architect drawing an eight-house schematic on paper, subtle realism"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Initial ‘rnāsti’ normalized as ‘na asti’ (scribal/orthographic). prakaraṇāntarīyapāṭhaḥ = prakaraṇa-antarīya-pāṭhaḥ; lekhakabhramāt = lekhaka-bhramāt; gṛhaśalyākhyam = gṛha-śalyā-ākhyam; pūrvaśākhāvihīnam = pūrva-śākhā-vihīnam; bhaveccullī = bhavet + cullī; bhavecchatrī = bhavet + chatrī; indrādikramato = indra-ādi-kramataḥ; dhvajādyaṣṭau = dhvaja-ādi-aṣṭau; gṛhāṇyahaṃ = gṛhāṇi + aham.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 105 (dhvaja-ādi gṛha-bheda; room-allocation by dik)
FAQs
It gives Vāstu-śāstra diagnostics: how a deficiency on the southern side of a house is read as an omen (e.g., hearth/cullī or chattrī), and it enumerates an eightfold typology of houses beginning with the Dhvaja type (with the Agni-type linked to the kitchen/mahānasa).
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves applied technical knowledge—here, domestic architecture: directional assessment, named house-types, and predictive/omen-based evaluation of layouts, even noting manuscript variants and suspected scribal intrusion.
In Purāṇic Vāstu, directional imbalance is treated as a doṣa that can manifest as misfortune (notably wealth-loss); recognizing and correcting such defects is framed as aligning the dwelling with cosmic order (dik/devatā harmony), thereby reducing adverse karmic outcomes.