Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 8
Chapter 40 — भूपरिग्रहो नाम
Bhū-parigraha) / अर्घ्यदानविधानम् (Arghya-dāna-vidhāna
नृहस्त इति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः व्योम शाकुलमांसेनेति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः दौवारिकं द्विसंस्थञ्च सुग्रीवं यावकेन तु पुष्पदन्तं कुशस्तम्बैः पद्मैर् वरुणमेकतः
nṛhasta iti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ vyoma śākulamāṃseneti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ dauvārikaṃ dvisaṃsthañca sugrīvaṃ yāvakena tu puṣpadantaṃ kuśastambaiḥ padmair varuṇamekataḥ
ચિહ્નિત હસ્તપ્રતોમાં ‘નૃહસ્ત’ અને ‘વ્યોમ’ એવો પાઠ મળે છે. દૌવારિક (દ્વારપાલ) તથા દ્વિસંસ્થને અર્પણ કરવું; સુગ્રીવને યાવક (જૌ)થી, પુષ્પદંતને કુશસ્તંભોથી, અને વરુણને અલગથી કમળપુષ્પોથી અર્પણ કરવું.
Lord Agni (narrating ritual procedure) to Sage Vasiṣṭha (frame-dialogue attribution typical of Agni Purāṇa)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Bali/naivedya distribution to guardian-deities/attendants (door-guardian, named beings like Sugrīva, Puṣpadanta, Varuṇa) with specified substances (yāvaka, kuśa-stalks, lotuses), including awareness of manuscript variants.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Offerings to Dauvārika, Dvisaṃstha, Sugrīva, Puṣpadanta, and Varuṇa (with variant readings)","lookup_keywords":["dauvārika","sugrīva","yāvaka","puṣpadanta","varuṇa-padma"],"quick_summary":"Assign specific offerings to specific attendants/guardians—barley to Sugrīva, kuśa-stalks to Puṣpadanta, lotus to Varuṇa—while noting variant names in some manuscripts."}
Concept: Directional and functional deities are honored through tailored substances; guardians are appeased to secure unobstructed ritual space.
Application: Before/alongside main worship, propitiate door-guardians and attendants with their assigned materials to prevent ritual obstacles (vighna).
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Devata-pratishtha & Bali/Upachara offerings; guardian-deities and attendants)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A shrine doorway with a Dauvārika guardian; offerings laid out: barley for Sugrīva, kuśa stalk bundles for Puṣpadanta, and a separate lotus offering for Varuṇa; marginal note-like banners indicating variant readings ‘Nṛhasta’ and ‘Vyoma’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, temple doorway with dvārapāla-like guardian, neat rows of offerings (barley heap, kuśa bundles, lotus flowers), Varuṇa hinted with water motifs, flat iconic style with earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ornate doorway guardian with gold work, lotus offering to Varuṇa with gold-highlighted petals, barley and kuśa rendered as textured relief, rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional plate: labeled offerings for each named being, doorway architecture emphasized, clean composition, manuscript-variant callouts in small cartouches.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, palace-like shrine entrance, attendants placing barley, kuśa, and lotus on small trays, fine calligraphy-like labels for names, delicate detailing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्विसंस्थम् + च → द्विसंस्थञ्च; पद्मैः + वरुणम् → पद्मैर् वरुणम्; वरुणम् + एकतः → वरुणमेकतः. प्रारम्भे ‘नृहस्त…/व्योम…’ इत्यादि पाठभेद-टिप्पणी (critical note) श्लोकपाठस्य अङ्गं न मान्यते, अतः पदविश्लेषणे न गृहीतम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana ch. 40 bali lists for attendants/guardians; Agni Purana puja-vidhi chapters on upacāra and bali
FAQs
It prescribes specific nivedya/upacāra offerings to particular attendants/guardians—barley for Sugrīva, kuśa-stalks for Puṣpadanta, and lotus-flowers for Varuṇa—indicating deity-specific offering correspondences in pūjā-vidhi.
By cataloging named ritual recipients (door-guardian, attendant gaṇas, Varuṇa) along with precise offering materials, it functions like a procedural manual—one of the Agni Purāṇa’s hallmark encyclopedic features across ritual, iconography, and practical worship details.
Offering correctly matched substances to each deity/attendant is taught as a means to maintain ritual order (ṛta), remove obstacles at thresholds (dvāra-pāla), and secure purity and favor—thereby supporting merit (puṇya) and successful completion of worship.