Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 57
Abhiṣeka-mantrāḥ
Consecration Mantras
श्वेतश् च शृङवान् मेरुर्माल्यवान् गन्धमादनः महेन्द्रो मलयः सह्यः शक्तिमानृक्षवान् गिरिः
śvetaś ca śṛṅavān merurmālyavān gandhamādanaḥ mahendro malayaḥ sahyaḥ śaktimānṛkṣavān giriḥ
તથા શ્વેત અને શૃંગવાન; મેરુ; માલ્યવાન; ગંધમાદન; મહેન્દ્ર; મલય; સહ્ય; શક્તિમાન; અને ઋક્ષવાન પર્વત (પણ રક્ષા કરે).
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Cosmographic orientation: memorizing the canonical mountain ranges of Jambūdvīpa for Purāṇic geography, pilgrimage imagination, and ritual mapping (saṅkalpa/diśā-bandha).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Jambūdvīpa-parvata-nāma: Śveta to Ṛkṣavān","lookup_keywords":["Jambūdvīpa","Meru","Gandhamādana","Malaya","Sahya"],"quick_summary":"A compact list of major Purāṇic mountains used to structure cosmography and sacred geography around Meru and its surrounding ranges."}
Concept: Ordered knowledge (nāma-saṅgraha) is itself a discipline: the cosmos is apprehended through structured enumeration.
Application: Use as a mnemonic catalogue for teaching Purāṇic bhūgola, for ritual saṅkalpa, and for composing tīrtha-māhātmya narratives.
Khanda Section: Bhugola & Tirtha-Varnana (Cosmography: Jambudvipa, mountains and sacred geography)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cosmographic panorama with Mount Meru at the center, surrounded by named mountain ranges in a circular sacred map.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized cosmic map: towering golden Meru at center with concentric landscape bands; each mountain range personified or labeled (Śveta, Śṛṅgavān, Mālyavān, Gandhamādana, Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śaktimān, Ṛkṣavān), celestial beings hovering, lotus motifs","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-leaf Meru as central axis, embossed concentric hills with jewel tones, small deity-figures and sages on slopes, ornate border, labels in Devanagari cartouches","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional cosmography plate: clean outlines, pastel washes, central Meru with surrounding ranges arranged symmetrically, clear captions for each mountain","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature landscape, layered hills and atmospheric perspective; central high peak as Meru, surrounding named ranges with calligraphic labels, tiny ascetics and animals, refined detailing"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्वेतश् च → श्वेतः च; मेरुर्माल्यवान् → मेरुः माल्यवान्; शक्तिमानृक्षवान् → शक्तिमान् ऋक्षवान्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 219 (Bhūgola/tīrtha-varṇana sequence)
FAQs
This verse imparts bhūgola-vidyā (cosmographical knowledge) by cataloguing principal parvatas (mountains) used in Purāṇic geography for mapping regions, pilgrimage imagination, and cosmological orientation.
By preserving a structured list of major mountains (both cosmic like Meru and terrestrial ranges like Malaya/Sahya), it functions like a geographic index—one of the Agni Purana’s many compendious modules alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and aesthetics.
Remembering and reciting sacred geographic names is traditionally treated as smṛti-based puṇya (merit), strengthening dhārmic orientation toward tīrthas and the cosmic order described in Purāṇic cosmology.