Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 25
पवित्रारोहणविधिः
The Rite of Raising/Placing the Pavitra
प्रविश्यान्तः शिवं स्तुत्वा सप्रणामं क्षमापयेत् अन्तश् चर त्वं भूतानामिति ग, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः परिपूर्णं करो तु मे इति ग, चिहितपुस्तकपाठः अमृतस्त्वं परेशान इति ग, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः प्रायश्चित्तकृतं होमं कृत्वा हुत्वा च पायसं
praviśyāntaḥ śivaṃ stutvā sapraṇāmaṃ kṣamāpayet antaś cara tvaṃ bhūtānāmiti ga, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ paripūrṇaṃ karo tu me iti ga, cihitapustakapāṭhaḥ amṛtastvaṃ pareśāna iti ga, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ prāyaścittakṛtaṃ homaṃ kṛtvā hutvā ca pāyasaṃ
Étant entré à l’intérieur, on doit louer Śiva et, avec une prosternation respectueuse, demander pardon. (Dans certaines leçons manuscrites signalées, on ajoute : «Meus en toi au sein des êtres», «Rends-le accompli pour moi» et «Tu es nectar, ô Seigneur suprême».) Ensuite, après avoir accompli le homa expiatoire (prāyaścitta), on offrira aussi du pāyasa (riz au lait) en oblation.
Lord Agni (narrating Agni Purana instructions to sage Vasiṣṭha, traditional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"To perform temple-entry worship with Śiva-stuti, kṣamā-prārthanā, optional manuscript mantras, and prāyaścitta-homa including pāyasa oblation for expiation and completion of rite.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śiva-stuti with kṣamā and prāyaścitta-homa; pāyasa āhuti","lookup_keywords":["praviśya antaḥ","śiva-stuti","kṣamāpayet","prāyaścitta-homa","pāyasa"],"quick_summary":"After entering the sanctified interior, one praises Śiva and seeks forgiveness; then performs an expiatory homa, offering pāyasa as an oblation, with some traditions adding brief completion-mantras."}
Concept: Ritual life includes acknowledgment of error and corrective action; expiation (prāyaścitta) restores ritual integrity and inner alignment.
Application: When lapses occur in worship, explicitly seek forgiveness, then perform a corrective homa with a sattvic offering (pāyasa) to seal completion.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Prāyaścitta (Temple entry, Śiva-stuti, expiation fire-offering)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee enters the inner temple area, offers a stuti to Śiva with folded hands, then performs an expiatory homa; a bowl of pāyasa is poured as an oblation into the fire; marginal scrolls show optional mantra lines as manuscript variants.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: dim sanctum threshold, Śiva-linga or Śiva form in niche, devotee bowing, homa fire nearby with ladle, pāyasa vessel, stylized script ribbons indicating added mantras, warm lamp-lit palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Śiva in sanctum with gold arch, devotee in reverent bow, homa altar in foreground, pāyasa offering highlighted with gold accents on vessels, ornate temple décor.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional temple-interior scene, clear depiction of prāyaścitta-homa steps, labeled pāyasa bowl and ladle, neat callout boxes for variant mantras, soft colors and precise detailing.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: interior shrine with intricate pillars, devotee reciting stuti, small homa fire with smoke, attendant holding pāyasa pot, marginal notes in cartouches representing manuscript readings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: praviśyāntaḥ = praviśya + antaḥ; sapraṇāmam = sa + praṇāmam. The middle portion contains marked editorial notes (ga, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ etc.) and is treated as non-verse apparatus; only the coherent metrical segment is analyzed.
Related Themes: Agni Purana prāyaścitta sections on homa and kṣamā-prārthanā; Agni Purana Śiva-pūjā/stuti passages and mantra-nyāsa contexts
FAQs
It prescribes a correction rite: enter the sanctified space, praise Śiva, bow and ask forgiveness, then complete an expiatory homa and offer pāyasa as an oblation; it also notes variant mantra-formulas preserved in some manuscripts.
Beyond theology, it records practical ritual procedure (prāyaścitta), including liturgical actions (stuti, praṇāma, homa) and even textual-critical notes (marked manuscript readings), showing the Purana’s compendium-style preservation of applied religious technology.
Seeking Śiva’s forgiveness and performing prāyaścitta-homa are presented as means to neutralize ritual faults and restore purity and completeness (paripūrṇatā) to the rite, thereby protecting the performer from adverse karmic results.