Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 19
Chapter 63 — सुदर्शनचक्रादिप्रतिष्ठाकथनं
Procedure for Consecrating the Sudarśana Discus and Other Divine Emblems
द्विजाय पुस्तकं दत्वा फलस्यान्तो न विद्यते त्रीण्याहुरतिदानानि गावः पृथ्वीं सरस्वती
dvijāya pustakaṃ datvā phalasyānto na vidyate trīṇyāhuratidānāni gāvaḥ pṛthvīṃ sarasvatī
En donnant un livre à un deux-fois-né (brāhmaṇa savant), le fruit de ce don est sans fin. Ils déclarent que trois dons sont suprêmement grands : les vaches, la terre et Sarasvatī, c’est-à-dire le savoir sacré.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Ethics of charity emphasizing book-gift (vidyā-dāna) as inexhaustible merit, and ranking mahādānas: cows, land, and Sarasvatī/learning.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Ati-dāna / Mahā-dāna: Cows, Land, and Sarasvatī (Learning)","lookup_keywords":["pustaka-dāna","vidyā-dāna","ati-dāna","go-dāna","bhū-dāna"],"quick_summary":"Gifting a sacred book to a qualified brāhmaṇa yields endless fruit; among supreme gifts, tradition counts cows, land, and Sarasvatī—i.e., the gift/support of learning."}
Concept: Vidyā is a perpetuating gift: unlike consumables, knowledge multiplies through transmission; hence vidyā-dāna is praised as inexhaustible.
Application: Support education materially—donate texts, sponsor teaching, preserve manuscripts—alongside classic mahādānas like cows and land.
Khanda Section: Dāna-Dharma (Charity and Gifts)
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A donor respectfully offers a wrapped manuscript to a learned brāhmaṇa; nearby are symbolic representations of the three great gifts—cow, land deed/soil, and Sarasvatī as learning.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, donor presenting manuscript to seated brāhmaṇa, cow standing calmly, a small mound of earth/land symbol, Sarasvatī motif in background, flat stylized forms and warm tones","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, manuscript gift scene with gold-embossed borders, cow adorned, symbolic land platter with soil, Sarasvatī iconography subtly behind, rich gold work emphasizing auspiciousness","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic tableau: donor, recipient brāhmaṇa, labeled icons for go-dāna, bhū-dāna, vidyā-dāna; delicate lines and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, patron gifting a manuscript in a scholarly courtyard, cow tethered nearby, attendants holding a land grant scroll, refined naturalistic faces and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Dhanyasi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: phalasyānto = phalasya + antaḥ; trīṇyāhuḥ = trīṇi + āhuḥ; atidānāni = ati + dānāni.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 63 (dāna-dharma around books and recitation)
FAQs
It teaches dāna-vidhi in dharma: gifting a book (pustaka-dāna), and it classifies the highest forms of charity as cow-gift, land-gift, and gift of learning (Sarasvatī).
Alongside ritual and doctrinal topics, the Agni Purana also codifies practical social-religious ethics—here, a ranked typology of gifts and their karmic outcomes, linking economy (land, cattle) and education (texts/learning).
It asserts that donating a book yields inexhaustible merit, and that cows, land, and sacred learning are ‘supreme gifts’ because they sustain life, livelihood, and dharma through knowledge.