Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 5
Chapter 68 — यात्रोत्सवविधिकथनं
Account of the Procedure for the Processional Festival / Yātrā-Utsava Vidhi
कुलत्थमाषनिष्पावान् क्षालयित्वा तु वापयेत् पूर्वादौ च बलिं दद्यात् भ्रमन् दीपैः पुरं निशि
kulatthamāṣaniṣpāvān kṣālayitvā tu vāpayet pūrvādau ca baliṃ dadyāt bhraman dīpaiḥ puraṃ niśi
Après avoir lavé le horse-gram (kulattha), le black-gram (māṣa) et les pois chiches (niṣpāva), qu’on les sème ; puis, en commençant par l’est, qu’on offre le bali (offrande alimentaire rituelle) et, la nuit, qu’on fasse le tour de la cité en portant des lampes.
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Perform festival preliminaries: wash and sow specified pulses for aṅkura; offer directional bali starting from the east; conduct nocturnal nagara-pradakṣiṇā with lamps for protection, auspiciousness, and communal sanctification.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Aṅkura-sowing, Dik-bali from East, and Night Lamp-Circumambulation of the Town","lookup_keywords":["kulattha","māṣa","niṣpāva","bali","dīpa-pradakṣiṇā"],"quick_summary":"After washing horse-gram, black-gram, and chickpeas, sow them for auspicious sprouts. Begin bali offerings from the eastern quarter, then circumambulate the town at night carrying lamps."}
Dosha: Vata
Concept: Directional order (east-first) and boundary rites (pradakṣiṇā with light) maintain harmony between humans, deities, and local spirits.
Application: Use dik-krama for offerings; employ lamp processions as community-wide śānti and rakṣā practice during festivals.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Vrata–Bali–Pradakshina / Nagarapradakshina with lamps)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At dusk turning to night, devotees wash and sow pulses in trays; priests offer bali in the eastern quarter; a lamp-bearing procession circles the town walls/streets.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, night scene with rows of oil lamps, devotees circling a stylized town, priest offering bali at an eastern marker, deep blues with warm lamp glow","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-lit lamps and ornate trays, priest at east with bali offerings, procession encircling town depicted as a jeweled mandala, rich reds and gold","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear stepwise depiction: washing pulses, sowing, bali by directions starting east, then lamp pradakṣiṇā at night; elegant figures and soft palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed nocturnal street procession with lanterns/lamps, townspeople in line, priestly bali at a corner shrine, architectural panorama of the town"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Malkauns","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kulatthamāṣaniṣpāvān → kulattha-māṣa-niṣpāvān (dvandva); pūrvādau → pūrva-ādau.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 68.3-68.4 (aṅkura-ropana materials); Agni Purana 68 (bali/utsava procedures)
FAQs
It prescribes a civic-protective ritual: cleanse and sow specific pulses, offer bali beginning from the east, and perform a night-time lamp-circumambulation of the town.
It records a practical, procedural rite combining agriculture (sowing), direction-based ritual protocol (east-first), and public religious observance (lamp procession), showing the text’s coverage of both domestic and civic religious technologies.
The sequence—purification (washing), auspicious initiation (east-first), bali-offering, and lamp-circumambulation—functions as a merit-generating and apotropaic act meant to invite auspiciousness and ward off harm for the community.