Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 34
Chapter 92 — प्रतिष्ठाविधिकथनम्
Narration of the Consecration / Installation Procedure
आसां पद्मो महापद्मः शङ्खो ऽथ मकरस् तथा समुद्रश्चेति पञ्चामी निधिकुम्भाः क्रमाधः
āsāṃ padmo mahāpadmaḥ śaṅkho 'tha makaras tathā samudraśceti pañcāmī nidhikumbhāḥ kramādhaḥ
Parmi celles-ci, (les jarres-trésors) Padma, Mahāpadma, Śaṅkha, Makara et Samudra—tels sont le cinquième ensemble des nidhis (vases de trésor), selon l’ordre requis, en dessous.
Lord Agni (in dialogue with Sage Vasiṣṭha, the standard Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Royal prosperity lore: identifying and ritually invoking/guarding the nidhis (treasure-vessels) as auspicious supports for wealth, sovereignty, and temple endowments.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Nidhi-Kumbha Names (Fifth Set): Padma–Samudra","lookup_keywords":["Nidhi","Padma","Mahāpadma","Śaṅkha","Makara"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates a specific ordered set of five nidhis (treasure-jars), used in prosperity symbolism, guardianship lists, and cosmological catalogues."}
Concept: Auspicious order (krama) and naming as a means to systematize prosperity symbols within cosmology and royal ideology.
Application: Use the list for ritual placement (kumbha-sthāpana), treasury symbolism, or iconographic planning in temples/palaces.
Khanda Section: Nidhi-lakshana (Treasures and their enumeration within Puranic cosmology/royal prosperity lore)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Five labeled treasure-jars arranged in order—Padma, Mahāpadma, Śaṅkha, Makara, Samudra—each with its emblem (lotus, conch, makara, ocean waves) in a cosmological/royal treasury tableau.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, row of ornate kumbhas with lotus and conch motifs, makara-headed ornamentation, ocean-wave band for Samudra, flat composition, temple decorative aesthetic","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, five gilded treasure pots with heavy gold work, lotus and conch emblems in relief, makara motif, deep red/green background, auspicious kolam-like border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional diagram feel: five kumbhas neatly labeled, delicate shading, clear icon symbols (padma, śaṅkha, makara, waves), clean margins like a manuscript plate","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, royal treasury scene with five ceremonial jars on a carpet, attendants pointing to each, detailed textiles, subtle inscriptions, ocean motif painted as a miniature vignette"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śaṅkho 'tha = śaṅkhaḥ atha; samudraśceti = samudraḥ ca iti.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 92 (Nidhi-lakṣaṇa passages)
FAQs
It imparts nidhi-vidyā in the sense of a formal enumeration: it names a specific set of five nidhis (treasure-repositories) and indicates their position in an ordered listing.
By cataloguing named nidhis and arranging them systematically, the text preserves a technical taxonomy of prosperity/treasury concepts alongside its many other domains (ritual, polity, architecture, medicine, and poetics).
Remembering and reciting ordered sacred catalogues of auspicious entities (like nidhis) is traditionally treated as prosperity-invoking and merit-supporting, aligning wealth with dharmic order rather than mere acquisition.