Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 17
Chapter 61 — द्वारप्रतिष्ठाध्वजारोहाणादिविधिः
Gateway Installation, Flag Hoisting, and Allied Rites
प्रासादविम्बद्रव्याणां यावन्तः परमाणवः तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि तत्कर्ता विष्णुलोकभाक्
prāsādavimbadravyāṇāṃ yāvantaḥ paramāṇavaḥ tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi tatkartā viṣṇulokabhāk
Autant il y a d’atomes (paramāṇu) dans les matériaux employés pour le temple (prāsāda) et son icône (vimba), autant de milliers d’années l’artisan en reçoit une part dans le monde de Viṣṇu (Viṣṇuloka/Vaikuṇṭha).
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Motivational dharma-phala teaching to encourage temple and icon construction by quantifying merit: the builder gains prolonged residence in Viṣṇu’s realm proportional to the material ‘atoms’ used.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Merit (phala) of Prāsāda and Vimba construction","lookup_keywords":["prāsāda","vimba","paramāṇu","puṇya-phala","viṣṇuloka"],"quick_summary":"Temple and icon construction yields immense merit: the maker attains Viṣṇu’s world for thousands of years multiplied by the number of atoms in the construction materials—an emphatic incentive for sacred building."}
Alamkara Type: Atishayokti
Concept: Dāna-like merit accrues through sacred construction; material effort in service of deity yields transcendent reward (Viṣṇuloka).
Application: Encourage patronage and ethical craftsmanship in temple/icon projects by framing them as high-yield dharmic acts.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-śāstra (Temple Architecture and Merit of Construction)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grand temple under construction with sculptors carving an icon; the scene subtly visualizes ‘atoms’ as sparkling motes around stones and metals, while a vision of Vaikuṇṭha appears as the promised fruit.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, artisans carving a vimba and building a prāsāda, luminous specks (paramāṇu) floating, in the upper register Viṣṇu’s Vaikuṇṭha with attendants, earthy palette and bold contours.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, richly ornamented temple façade with gold accents, sculptor presenting the icon, Vaikuṇṭha vision with Viṣṇu in gold foil radiance, decorative borders emphasizing merit.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, detailed yet calm construction tableau: measuring, carving, placing stones; subtle dotted glow indicating paramāṇu; inset panel of Viṣṇuloka as the result, clean instructional elegance.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling construction site with precise architectural detail, craftsmen and patrons, shimmering dust motes as ‘atoms’, a cloud-borne Vaikuṇṭha vision above, refined colors and perspective."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bilawal","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: prāsāda+vimba+dravyāṇām → prāsādavimbadravyāṇāṃ; varṣa+sahasrāṇi → varṣasahasrāṇi; tat+kartā → tatkartā; viṣṇu+loka+bhāk → viṣṇulokabhāk.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Vāstu/Śilpa sections on prāsāda-nirmāṇa and mūrti-pratiṣṭhā; Agni Purana phala-śruti passages attached to ritual/constructive acts
FAQs
It teaches the Vāstu-śāstra principle that commissioning/building a temple (prāsāda) and its deity-image (vimba) yields measurable religious merit, expressed through an atom-count (paramāṇu) based merit-fruition formula.
It exemplifies how the Agni Purāṇa links practical disciplines like architecture and icon-making (Vāstu and śilpa) with theology and karma-phala (spiritual results), integrating technical construction topics with soteriological outcomes (attaining Viṣṇu-loka).
The verse states that the patron/builder accrues vast puṇya—lasting “as many thousands of years as there are atoms” in the construction materials—culminating in residence in Viṣṇu’s realm (Vaikuṇṭha).