Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 6
Worship of Gaurī and Others (Gauryādi-pūjā) — Mantra, Maṇḍala, Mudrā, Homa, and Mṛtyuñjaya Kalaśa-Rite
आसनं प्रणवेनात्र मूर्तिन्यासं हृदाचरेत् यामलं कथितं वत्स एकवीरं वदाम्य् अथ
āsanaṃ praṇavenātra mūrtinyāsaṃ hṛdācaret yāmalaṃ kathitaṃ vatsa ekavīraṃ vadāmy atha
અહીં પ્રણવ (ઓં) વડે આસન સ્થાપવું, પછી હૃદય-મંત્ર વડે મૂર્તિ-ન્યાસ કરવો. હે વત્સ, યામલ કહેલું; હવે હું એકવીરાનું વર્ણન કરું છું.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) addressing the listener as 'vatsa'
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Stepwise pūjā: establish āsana with praṇava, perform hṛdaya-based mūrti-nyāsa; transition to specific deity-cycle teachings (Yāmala → Ekavīrā).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Praṇava-āsana and hṛdaya-mūrti-nyāsa; transition to Ekavīrā upāsanā","lookup_keywords":["praṇava āsana","mūrti-nyāsa","hṛdaya","yāmala","ekavīrā"],"quick_summary":"Begin the rite by seating the devatā with Oṃ, then internalize/install the deity-form in the heart through nyāsa; after completing the Yāmala set, proceed to Ekavīrā’s teaching."}
Concept: Outer supports (āsana) and inner realization (hṛdaya-nyāsa) are paired; the heart becomes the locus of devatā-pratiṣṭhā.
Application: In practice, do not skip āsana and nyāsa preliminaries; treat them as the ‘opening’ that stabilizes attention and mantra-śakti before deity-specific rites.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Tantra (Mantra-nyasa and ritual procedure)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee lays down a ritual seat, chants Oṃ, then touches the heart performing mūrti-nyāsa; a guru gestures to a manuscript section titled ‘Yāmala’ and then ‘Ekavīrā’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, devotee in profile touching heart, small pīṭha before a Devī symbol, manuscript scroll with headings, warm lamp glow, bold contour lines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted pīṭha and sacred syllable Oṃ, devotee performing nyāsa, faint Ekavīrā icon emerging in background with ornate halo","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear sequential panels: (1) āsana with Oṃ (2) heart-nyāsa (3) guru indicating Ekavīrā section, fine linework and soft washes","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, indoor shrine with scholar-guru and disciple, manuscript open to ‘Yāmala’, disciple performing heart-touch nyāsa, architectural detail and delicate calligraphy"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रणवेनात्र → प्रणवेन + अत्र; मूर्तिन्यासम् → मूर्ति-न्यासम्; हृदाचरेत् → हृदा + आचरेत्; वदाम्य् अथ → वदामि + अथ (यण्/लोप संधि).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 325.4 (praṇava installation; hṛdaya); Agni Purana 325.7 (bīja without heart-etc. placements—contrast/nuance)
FAQs
It teaches the ritual sequence: consecrate/establish the āsana using the Praṇava (Oṁ) and then perform mūrti-nyāsa—installing the deity’s form in the heart-center as part of worship/sādhana.
It exemplifies the text’s practical ritual-technology: precise procedural steps (āsana, praṇava-usage, nyāsa) and topic transitions between tantric corpora (Yāmala) and specific deity traditions (Ekavīrā).
Heart-centered mūrti-nyāsa internalizes worship, aligning mind and mantra with the deity; using Oṁ frames the rite in a purifying, sanctifying vibration believed to support concentration, merit, and inner purification.