Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 7
Chapter 106 — नगरादिवास्तुः
Vāstu Concerning Towns and Related Settlements
दक्षिणे नृत्यवृत्तीनां वेश्यास्त्रीणां गृहाणि च नटानाञ्चक्रिकादीनां कैवर्तादेश् च नैरृते
dakṣiṇe nṛtyavṛttīnāṃ veśyāstrīṇāṃ gṛhāṇi ca naṭānāñcakrikādīnāṃ kaivartādeś ca nairṛte
Au côté sud doivent être établies les demeures de ceux dont le gagne-pain est la danse, ainsi que celles des femmes courtisanes ; et au sud-ouest (nairṛta) doivent être placés les quartiers des acteurs, des artistes du type cakrikā et autres semblables, ainsi que des pêcheurs et des communautés apparentées.
Lord Agni (in dialogue, traditionally instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Town-planning by allocating residential quarters to occupational groups according to direction (dik-vibhāga) to maintain social order, sanitation, and regulated commerce/entertainment zones.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Dakṣiṇa–Nairṛta Dik-vibhāga for Performers and Fisherfolk","lookup_keywords":["dakṣiṇa","nairṛta","veśyā","naṭa","kaivarta"],"quick_summary":"Place dance-profession households and courtesans to the south; place actors/performer troupes and fisherfolk communities to the south-west for orderly zoning and controlled movement."}
Concept: Dik-niyama (directional order) as a means to social harmony and regulated livelihoods.
Application: Use occupational zoning to reduce conflict, manage crowds, and keep specialized trades in predictable quarters.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra (Town-planning and directional zoning)
Primary Rasa: samanya
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A planned city map with the southern quarter showing dancers’ houses and courtesans’ dwellings; the south-west showing actors’ quarters and fisherfolk near water access, all marked by compass directions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat vivid colors, idealized town plan with compass directions, southern quarter with dancers holding tāla and vīṇā, courtesans in ornate dress, south-west with actors in costume and fisherfolk with nets, decorative borders, traditional palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style with gold leaf accents, schematic vāstu mandala city layout, labeled dakṣiṇa and nairṛta, miniature figures of dancers and courtesans in jeweled attire, actors with masks, fisherfolk with nets, rich red-green background, embossed gold highlights.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, clean linework and soft shading, instructional vāstu diagram with directional grid, small narrative vignettes: dance troupe in south, theatre performers and fisherfolk in south-west, annotations in Devanagari-like labels.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature style, bird’s-eye view of a town quartered by directions, detailed costumes of performers, courtesans in courtyards, actors rehearsing, fisherfolk by a canal, fine architectural detailing and muted naturalistic colors."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: naṭānāñcakrikādīnāṃ → naṭānām cakrikādīnāṃ; kaivartādeś ca → kaivartādeḥ ca.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 106 (dik-vibhāga / vāstu-niveśa context)
FAQs
It teaches a Vāstu-śāstra rule of directional zoning: specific professions and communities are assigned residential quarters in the south and south-west sectors of a settlement.
Beyond theology, it preserves practical civil-architecture guidance—how to plan neighborhoods by direction and occupation—showing the Agni Purana’s coverage of applied sciences like Vāstu and civic organization.
In Vāstu thought, placing activities in their prescribed directions is believed to maintain harmony with directional deities and reduce inauspiciousness, supporting social order and well-being in the settlement.