Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 29
Chapter 66: साधारणप्रतिष्ठाविधानम्
The Procedure for General Consecration
इष्टकासेतुकारी च गोलोके मार्गकृद्गवां नियमव्रतकृद्विष्णुः कृच्छ्रकृत्सर्वपापहा
iṣṭakāsetukārī ca goloke mārgakṛdgavāṃ niyamavratakṛdviṣṇuḥ kṛcchrakṛtsarvapāpahā
Celui qui bâtit une chaussée ou un pont de briques, et celui qui trace un chemin pour les bovins en Goloka; celui qui observe disciplines et vœux; le dévot de Viṣṇu; et celui qui accomplit l’austérité expiatoire du Kṛcchra : chacun devient destructeur de tous les péchés.
Lord Agni (in the Agni Purana’s primary narration, instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Merit-making through infrastructure (causeways/paths), disciplined vows, Viṣṇu-bhakti, and formal expiation (kṛcchra) for sin-removal.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Puṇya-karmas for Sarva-pāpa-kṣaya (Setu, Mārga, Vrata, Viṣṇu-bhakti, Kṛcchra)","lookup_keywords":["iṣṭakā-setu","mārga","goloka","niyama-vrata","kṛcchra"],"quick_summary":"Building bridges/causeways and cattle-paths, observing vows, devotion to Viṣṇu, and performing kṛcchra expiation are grouped as powerful means for destroying sins."}
Concept: Sin is attenuated by (1) loka-saṅgraha service, (2) niyama/vow discipline, (3) īśvara-bhakti, and (4) prāyaścitta austerity.
Application: Combine ethical public works with personal restraint and devotional practice; use kṛcchra as formal expiation when required by dharma.
Khanda Section: Dana–Vrata–Prayashchitta (Meritorious acts, vows, and expiations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Sacred Realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brick causeway/bridge under construction; a clearly marked cattle-path through pasture; a vow-observer practicing restraint; a devotee offering to Viṣṇu; and an ascetic performing kṛcchra austerity—shown as a sequence of panels culminating in ‘sin washed away’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, multi-panel narrative: setu with brickwork, cows on a dedicated path, vrata practitioner with water pot and rosary, Viṣṇu shrine with lamp, kṛcchra ascetic in austere posture, symbolic purification river motif","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold accents on Viṣṇu and ritual items, donor-builder scenes with ornate borders, cows and pastoral Goloka imagery, devotional panel glowing, expiation panel subdued but dignified","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional storyboard layout, labeled actions (setu, mārga, vrata, bhakti, kṛcchra), fine lines and soft washes, emphasis on procedure and ethical intent","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, realistic bridge construction and pastoral cattle track, separate vignette of devotee at Viṣṇu temple, ascetic austerity scene, delicate landscape and architectural detail"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मार्गकृद्गवाम् = मार्गकृत् + गवाम्; नियमव्रतकृद्विष्णुः = नियमव्रतकृत् + विष्णुः; कृच्छ्रकृत्सर्वपापहा = कृच्छ्रकृत् + सर्वपापहा.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 66 (dāna/vow/expiation cluster)
FAQs
It lists specific prāyaścitta and dharmic acts—public welfare works (building bridges/paths), niyama–vrata observance, Vaiṣṇava devotion, and the Kṛcchra penance—as means for purification and merit.
It compiles multiple domains of dharma in one place: social welfare (infrastructure for travel/cattle), ritual discipline (vrata/niyama), sectarian devotion (Viṣṇu-bhakti), and formal expiation systems (Kṛcchra), showing the Purana’s catalog-like coverage of practice and results.
The verse teaches that both inward discipline (vows, penance, devotion) and outward service (creating safe passage/paths) generate strong puṇya and function as sarva-pāpa-hara—removing accumulated karmic impurities.