Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 5
Chapter 59 — अधिवासनकथनं
Adhivāsana: The Rite of Inviting and Stabilizing Hari’s Presence
आकाशं मनसाहत्य मनोहङ्करणे कुरु अहङ्कारञ्च महति तञ्चाप्यव्याकृते नयेत्
ākāśaṃ manasāhatya manohaṅkaraṇe kuru ahaṅkārañca mahati tañcāpyavyākṛte nayet
Après avoir résorbé l’espace dans le mental par le mental, établis le mental dans l’egoïté (ahaṅkāra). Puis fonds l’egoïté dans le Grand Principe (mahat) et conduis même cela vers l’Inmanifesté (avyākṛta).
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Laya-krama (involution) used in meditation: withdrawing attention from gross elements to mind, ego, intellect/mahat, and finally to the unmanifest ground.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Laya-krama: Ākāśa→Manas→Ahaṅkāra→Mahat→Avyākṛta","lookup_keywords":["laya-krama","ahaṅkāra","mahat","avyākṛta","tattva-viveka"],"quick_summary":"A stepwise inner withdrawal is taught: dissolve the subtlest element into mind, mind into ego, ego into mahat, and mahat into the unmanifest. Practically, it functions as a concentration ladder for samādhi-oriented practice."}
Concept: Tattva-laya (involution of principles) culminating in avyākṛta as the causal ground beyond manifest categories.
Application: Use as a guided meditation: progressively drop sensory space-awareness, then mental modifications, then I-notion, then cosmic intellect, resting in causal silence.
Khanda Section: Sankhya-Yoga / Tattva-viveka (Cosmology of mind, ego, Mahat, Avyakrita)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A yogin seated in meditation visualizing successive dissolutions: space collapsing into mind, mind into ego, ego into a luminous mahat, and that into a dark, tranquil unmanifest expanse.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, seated yogin with stylized aura; concentric bands labeled ākāśa, manas, ahaṅkāra, mahat, avyākṛta; earthy reds and greens, flat iconic composition, sacred diagrammatic feel.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf halos: central yogin, five-tier dissolution ladder shown as gilded concentric lotuses; mahat as radiant golden disc; avyākṛta as deep indigo field; ornate borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework: instructional cosmology chart beside meditating figure; arrows showing merging sequence; soft pastel palette, clear labels in Devanagari.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, delicate shading: scholar-yogin in a pavilion with a cosmological scroll depicting the laya sequence; subtle gradients from bright mahat to dark avyākṛta; detailed textiles and margins."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: manasāhatya = manasā + āhatya; manohaṅkaraṇe = manaḥ + ahaṅkaraṇe; ahaṅkārañca = ahaṅkāram + ca; tañcāpyavyākṛte = tat + ca + api + avyākṛte; so 'sṛjat not in this verse.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 59 (Sāṅkhya-Yoga/Tattva-viveka sequence)
FAQs
It teaches a Sankhya-Yogic laya-krama (order of dissolution): resolve ākāśa into manas, manas into ahaṅkāra, ahaṅkāra into mahat, and mahat into the avyākṛta (unmanifest Prakṛti), used as an internal meditative procedure rather than an external ritual.
Alongside ritual and dharma topics, the Agni Purana preserves technical Sankhya cosmology and yogic praxis—mapping psychological faculties (mind/ego) to cosmological principles (mahat/avyākṛta) and giving a practical method for contemplative dissolution.
By reversing identification—from elements to mind, from mind to ego, and beyond—one weakens ego-based karma and moves toward inner stillness, aiming at liberation-oriented purification through detachment and absorption (laya).