Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 12
Chapter 93 — वास्तुपूजादिविधानम्
Procedure for Vāstu-worship and Related Rites
लाजान् पूर्णं सुवर्णाम्बु वितथाय निवेदयेत् घ कुर्यादित्यादिः मुत्तानमसुराकृतिमित्यन्तः श्लोकद्वयात्मकपाठो ग पुस्तकके नास्ति कोणार्धेषु व्यवस्थिता इति घ पादिका इति ख मुष्टिकं वक्त्रमिति ख त्रिकोष्ठमिति ग ददीतेति अर्धश्लोको ग पुस्तके नास्ति दद्याद् गृहक्षते क्षौद्रं यमराजे पलौदनं
lājān pūrṇaṃ suvarṇāmbu vitathāya nivedayet gha kuryādityādiḥ muttānamasurākṛtimityantaḥ ślokadvayātmakapāṭho ga pustakake nāsti koṇārdheṣu vyavasthitā iti gha pādikā iti kha muṣṭikaṃ vaktramiti kha trikoṣṭhamiti ga dadīteti ardhaśloko ga pustake nāsti dadyād gṛhakṣate kṣaudraṃ yamarāje palaudanaṃ
On doit offrir à Vitatha des lāja (grains grillés) en mesure pleine, avec de l’or et de l’eau. En cas de dommage ou d’affliction touchant la demeure, on donnera du miel ; et à Yamarāja on offrira du riz cuit (palaudana).
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s ritual compendium style)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Śrāddha/dāna and prāyaścitta-style offerings: giving full-measure lāja with gold and water to Vitatha; giving honey as a remedial gift for household affliction; offering cooked rice to Yamarāja—used in rites addressing inauspiciousness and ancestral/otherworldly appeasement.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śrāddha–Dāna: Vitatha Lāja–Suvarṇa–Ambu; Gṛha-kṣati Kṣaudra; Yamarāja Palaudana","lookup_keywords":["Vitatha lāja suvarṇa ambu","gṛha-kṣati kṣaudra","Yamarāja palaudana","śrāddha dāna","prāyaścitta dravya"],"quick_summary":"For Vitatha, offer full lāja with gold and water; for harm to the house, give honey; for Yamarāja, offer cooked rice—serving as a remedial donation/oblation schedule for expiation and pacification."}
Concept: Dāna and naivedya as prāyaścitta: material offerings redirect misfortune (gṛha-kṣati) and honor cosmic adjudication (Yama) while maintaining social-ritual order.
Application: When facing persistent household inauspiciousness, perform prescribed dāna with purity and intent; pair with śrāddha observances and ethical conduct as the sustaining ‘inner’ remedy.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Śrāddha & Dāna-vidhi (Ritual offerings and expiatory gifts)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A śrāddha/dāna setting: a tray of parched grains (lāja) with a small gold piece and a water vessel offered to Vitatha; a separate honey pot set aside as a remedy for household harm; a bowl of cooked rice offered toward Yamarāja with solemn decorum.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, ritual table with lāja heap, gold and water pot, honey vessel, and cooked rice offering; subdued sacred palette, solemn priestly figures, stylized Yama emblem in the background","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold foil emphasizing suvarṇa and ritual vessels, rich red-brown background, offerings arranged symmetrically, a dignified symbolic presence of Yamarāja (buffalo motif) at the edge","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear instructional composition: three offerings in sequence with labels (Vitatha, gṛha-kṣati, Yama), delicate ornamentation, calm domestic shrine setting","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, household donation scene with attendants, detailed bowls of parched grains and rice, a honey jar, a small gold piece, refined architectural interior, restrained solemn mood"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: suvarṇāmbu → सुवर्ण-अम्बु; dadyād gṛhakṣate → दद्याद् गृह-क्षते. Editorial apparatus text (घ/ख/ग etc.) ignored as non-verse annotations.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 93 (śrāddha/dāna-vidhi passages around devata-wise gifts)
FAQs
It prescribes specific ritual gifts/offerings: lāja with gold and water to Vitatha; honey as a remedial gift for household affliction; and cooked rice as an offering to Yamarāja.
It exemplifies the text’s catalog-like coverage of practical rites—linking particular substances (honey, cooked rice, parched grain) to targeted ritual recipients and problem-scenarios (such as gṛhakṣati), typical of the Agni Purana’s multi-topic manual style.
Such directed dāna and offerings are framed as prāyaścitta-like remedies: they aim to pacify adverse forces connected with death and misfortune (Yamarāja) and to restore auspiciousness and protection for the household.