Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 31
Adhivāsana-vidhi
Procedure for Preliminary Consecration in Vāstu–Pratiṣṭhā / Īśāna-kalpa
स्तम्भमूलेषु कुम्भेषु वेद्यां धर्मादिकान् यजेत् दिक्षु कुम्भेष्वनन्तादीन् पूजयन्त्यपि केचन
stambhamūleṣu kumbheṣu vedyāṃ dharmādikān yajet dikṣu kumbheṣvanantādīn pūjayantyapi kecana
Dans les pots rituels (kalaśa) placés au pied des piliers, qu’on adore Dharma et les autres sur l’autel; et dans les pots disposés selon les directions, certains honorent aussi Ananta et les autres.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purana frame narration)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Puja-vidhi","secondary_vidya":"Vastu","practical_application":"Placement-based worship: assigning deities/abstractions to kalaśas at pillar-bases and to directional kalaśas, structuring the mandala/altar space for a complete ritual field.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Kalasha distribution: pillar-base pots and directional pots in altar worship","lookup_keywords":["stambha-mula","kalasha","vedi","dharma","dik-kumbha"],"quick_summary":"Worship is mapped onto space: Dharma and allied principles are honored on the vedi and/or in pillar-base kalaśas, while directional kalaśas may receive Ananta and related deities, completing the protective and cosmological grid."}
Concept: Sacralization of space through directional and structural correspondences; dharma is not only ethical but ritually installed as a stabilizing principle.
Application: When setting up a puja pavilion/mandapa, assign kalaśas by function: structural (pillar-base) and cosmic (directional) to ensure ritual integrity and protection.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Kalasha-sthapana and Mandala/Altar Worship Procedures)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual pavilion with pillars and an altar: kalaśas placed at pillar bases and in the eight directions; the priest offers flowers/incense to Dharma on the vedi and to Ananta in a directional pot.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple mandapa with stylized pillars, bright kalaśas at each stambha-mula and around the compass points, priest performing arati at the vedi, symbolic figures of Dharma and Ananta faintly appearing as divine presences","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, symmetrical mandala layout, gold-highlighted kalaśas at pillar bases and directions, central vedi with offerings, ornate borders, subtle deity emblems (Dharma’s staff/insignia, Ananta’s serpent hood)","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic yet elegant: top-down view of vedi and pillars, labeled directional kalaśas, priest at center, soft colors and fine outlines for instructional clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, architectural interior with columns, neatly arranged pots at bases and corners, priest in white performing puja, detailed carpets and vessels, compass-like symmetry"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kumbheṣvanantādīn = कुम्भेषु + अनन्तादीन् (षु + अ → ष्व); pūjayantyapi = पूजयन्ति + अपि (इ + अ → य).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 96 (mandala/vedi setup; kalasha-sthapana context)
FAQs
It specifies a kalasha-based worship layout: pots at pillar-bases are used for worship connected with the altar (including Dharma and allied deities), while directional pots may be assigned to Ananta and related beings—indicating alternative but accepted ritual placements.
By documenting precise temple/altar logistics (pillar-base pots, altar worship, and directional assignments), it functions like a practical ritual handbook—one of the Agni Purana’s hallmark encyclopedic domains alongside polity, medicine, and arts.
Correct placement and worship through kalaśas and directional arrangements is presented as a means to harmonize the ritual space, honor cosmic order (Dharma) and protective supports (Ananta), and thereby secure purity and merit from properly executed worship.