Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 24
Nīrājana-vidhiḥ
Procedure of Nīrājana / Auspicious Lamp-Waving and Royal Propitiation
विशाखायां गते सूर्ये आश्रमे निवसेन्नृपः अलङ्कुर्याद्दिने तस्मिन् वाहनन्तु विशेषतः
viśākhāyāṃ gate sūrye āśrame nivasennṛpaḥ alaṅkuryāddine tasmin vāhanantu viśeṣataḥ
સૂર્ય વિશાખામાં પ્રવેશે ત્યારે રાજાએ આશ્રમમાં નિવાસ કરવો. તે દિવસે ખાસ કરીને પોતાના વાહનને શોભાવવું/અલંકૃત કરાવવું.
Lord Agni (instructing Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s didactic dialogue)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Jyotisha","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Electional timing for royal conduct: when Sun transits into Viśākhā, the king adopts hermitage-residence (austerity/retreat) and performs special adornment of his mount—an auspicious regimen for state transitions or campaigns.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Sūrya in Viśākhā: nṛpa-āśrama-vāsa and vāhana-alaṅkāra","lookup_keywords":["Viśākhā","sūrya-gati","muhūrta","āśrama-vāsa","vāhana-alaṅkāra"],"quick_summary":"At the Sun’s entry into Viśākhā, the king should stay in an āśrama and on that day especially adorn his vehicle/mount, aligning royal action with auspicious solar timing."}
Concept: Rājadharma includes kāla-anusaraṇa—aligning conduct with cosmic time (solar transit) and adopting restraint (āśrama-vāsa) to stabilize sovereignty.
Application: Use jyotiṣa-based timing to schedule retreats, vows, and ceremonial preparations of royal conveyances.
Khanda Section: Jyotiṣa & Rājadharma (Auspicious timing and royal conduct)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A king in simple ascetic-leaning attire resides in a forest hermitage while attendants decorate his mount/vehicle with garlands, cloth, and ornaments under a sky marked by auspicious solar transit symbolism.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, forest āśrama with sages’ huts, king seated calmly, attendants adorning a horse/elephant or chariot, subtle celestial motif for Sun in Viśākhā, serene greens and ochres","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold accents on the adorned mount and royal ornaments, hermitage backdrop with sacred trees, sun-disc motif above, devotional-auspicious tone","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic scene: king at āśrama, attendants decorating vāhana, small inset showing nakṣatra Viśākhā symbol and sun, fine lines and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined forest retreat with royal camp near hermitage, artisans adorning mount, astronomer pointing to sky chart, detailed flora and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: निवसेन्नृपः = निवसेत् + नृपः; अलङ्कुर्याद्दिने = अलङ्कुर्यात् + दिने.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: jyotiṣa/muhūrta passages; rājadharma chapters on royal regimen and auspicious departures
FAQs
It gives a jyotiṣa-based muhūrta rule: when the Sun enters Viśākhā, the king should undertake a regulated retreat to an āśrama and perform a specific auspicious act—decorating the royal mount/vehicle.
It blends practical governance (rājadharma) with astrological timing (jyotiṣa/muhūrta), showing how the text encodes administrative life—travel, display, and royal regimen—within a ritual-astrological framework.
Residence in an āśrama signals restraint and purification, while adorning the vāhana on an auspicious solar timing is treated as a merit-bearing act that aligns royal action with cosmic order (ṛta), supporting prosperity and protection.