Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 34
नगरादिवास्तुकथनं
Discourse on Vāstu for Cities and Related Settlements
प्रत्यगाप्ये चेन्दुयमे हट्ट एव गृहावली एकैकभवनाख्यानि दिक्ष्वष्टाष्टकसङ्ख्यया
pratyagāpye cenduyame haṭṭa eva gṛhāvalī ekaikabhavanākhyāni dikṣvaṣṭāṣṭakasaṅkhyayā
Dans les quartiers ouest et nord-ouest, la rue du marché (haṭṭa) doit être tracée comme une rangée de maisons ; et les appellations de chaque demeure doivent être attribuées selon les directions, suivant le compte de « huit et huit » (deux séries de huit).
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Town-planning: allocate a market-street (haṭṭa) as a residential row in west/northwest; assign house names/plots directionally in two sets of eight—useful for civic layout, taxation, and navigation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Haṭṭa-gṛhāvalī in west/northwest; directional allotment by two eights","lookup_keywords":["pratyak","āpya","haṭṭa","gṛhāvalī","aṣṭāṣṭaka"],"quick_summary":"Place the market-street as a row of houses in the west and northwest sectors; enumerate and designate dwellings direction-wise using an 8+8 scheme for orderly urban allotment."}
Concept: Prosperity and social order arise from disciplined spatial organization of commerce and residence.
Application: Use directional zoning for markets and systematic numbering/naming for administration and wayfinding.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-vidyā (Town-planning and House-allotment)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A town grid shows west and northwest quarters filled with a market-street lined by houses; directional labels and two sets of eight house-designations are marked around the compass.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, stylized town-plan with compass rose; west and northwest highlighted as haṭṭa with house row; eight-and-eight labels around directions; bold outlines, temple mural palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, decorative city-map panel with gold borders; market street in the west/northwest with tiny shop-house facades; compass directions inscribed; rich reds and gold.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional urban plan: grid, haṭṭa street marked, houses numbered 1–8 and 1–8 by direction; clear callouts and neat geometry.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling bazaar street along a city edge; houses in a row, signboards; an overhead inset map showing west/northwest zoning and directional numbering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रत्यगाप्ये = प्रत्यक् + आप्ये; चेन्दुयमे = च + इन्दुयमे; गृहावली = गृह + आवली; एकैकभवनाख्यानि = एक + एक + भवन + आख्यानि; दिक्ष्वष्टाष्टकसङ्ख्यया = दिक्षु + अष्टाष्टकसङ्ख्यया
Related Themes: Agni Purana 105 (Nagara-vinyāsa / gṛha-vibhāga)
FAQs
It teaches vāstu-vidyā: how to position a haṭṭa (market-street) as a continuous house-row and how to enumerate/assign house designations direction-wise in an 8+8 scheme.
Beyond theology, it preserves practical civil-planning guidance—street typologies (market streets) and systematic directional allotment—showing the text’s coverage of architecture, settlement design, and administrative ordering.
By aligning habitation and commerce with directional order (dik-vinyāsa) prescribed in vāstu, the settlement is believed to harmonize with cosmic governance (dikpāla principles), supporting prosperity and reducing inauspiciousness in communal life.