Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 18
Utpāta-śānti
Pacification of Portents
अकाले फलिता वृक्षाः क्षीरं रक्तं स्रवन्ति च वृक्षोत्पातप्रशमनं शिवं पूज्य च कारयेत्
akāle phalitā vṛkṣāḥ kṣīraṃ raktaṃ sravanti ca vṛkṣotpātapraśamanaṃ śivaṃ pūjya ca kārayet
જ્યારે વૃક્ષો અકાળે ફળ આપે અને તેમાંમાંથી દૂધ અથવા રક્ત સ્રવે, ત્યારે એવા વૃક્ષોત્પાતના શમન માટે શિવપૂજા કરાવવી જોઈએ।
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating the Agni Purana’s instructions to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Averting arboreal portents (out-of-season fruiting, exudation of milk/blood) through Śiva-pūjā as a śānti rite.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vṛkṣa-utpāta-śānti by Śiva-pūjā","lookup_keywords":["vṛkṣa-utpāta","akāla-phala","kṣīra-srāva","rakta-srāva","Śiva-pūjā"],"quick_summary":"Unnatural tree phenomena are treated as utpāta affecting community welfare. The prescribed pacification is Śiva worship, positioning Śiva as the remover of such ominous disturbances."}
Concept: Nature’s anomalies are read as disturbances requiring propitiation; Śiva functions as the great pacifier (śāntikara) of utpāta.
Application: When such signs appear, organize community Śiva-pūjā (with abhiṣeka, bilva offerings, and śānti-saṅkalpa) to restore confidence and ritual order.
Khanda Section: Utpāta-śānti & Śiva-pūjā-vidhi (Omens and pacificatory rites)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grove where trees fruit out of season and ooze white sap like milk or red sap like blood; villagers and priests perform Śiva-pūjā to avert the omen.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sacred grove with stylized trees exuding white and red sap, Śiva shrine nearby, priests offering bilva leaves and water abhiṣeka, protective aura encircling the grove","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Śiva/Śivaliṅga central with gold halo, foreground shows miraculous tree with milk-like sap, devotees performing ārati, rich reds and greens with gold embellishment","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, narrative-instructional scene: left panel shows tree-omen, right panel shows Śiva-pūjā steps (kalasha, bilva, abhiṣeka), delicate pastel palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, landscaped garden with unusual trees, attendants pointing at sap, a small Śiva shrine with worship in progress, fine botanical detailing and architectural pavilion"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Shivaranjani","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वृक्षोत्पातप्रशमनं = वृक्ष + उत्पात + प्रशमनम् (तत्पुरुष). पूज्य = पूज् + ल्यप् (gerund).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 262 (utpāta-śānti; Śiva-pūjā-vidhi context)
FAQs
It prescribes an Utpāta-śānti (pacificatory rite) for arboreal portents: when trees fruit out of season or exude milk/blood-like sap, one should commission Śiva-pūjā specifically aimed at vṛkṣotpāta-praśamana (appeasing the tree-omen).
Alongside theology, the text catalogues practical omenology (utpāta-lakṣaṇa) and the corresponding remedial ritual technologies (śānti-karman), showing how Purāṇic religion integrates observation of natural anomalies with prescribed liturgical responses.
By turning an ominous sign into a sanctioned act of worship, the verse frames ritual devotion to Śiva as a means of purification and harm-aversion—restoring auspiciousness (śiva) and mitigating the negative karmic or communal fallout implied by the portent.