Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 46
Chapter 38 — देवालयनिर्माणफलं
The Merit of Constructing a Temple
प्राप्नोति तत् फलं विष्णोर्यः कारयति केतनं कुलानां शतमागामि समतीतं तथा शतं
prāpnoti tat phalaṃ viṣṇoryaḥ kārayati ketanaṃ kulānāṃ śatamāgāmi samatītaṃ tathā śataṃ
जो विष्णु का केतन/मंदिर बनवाता है, वह वही फल प्राप्त करता है; और उसके कुल की सौ आने वाली तथा सौ बीती हुई पीढ़ियाँ भी उस पुण्य की भागी होती हैं।
Lord Agni (narrating the Agni Purana’s instructions to the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Shilpa","practical_application":"Temple-building patronage doctrine: motivates public religious infrastructure by promising transgenerational benefit (past and future ancestors/descendants).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Fruit of building Viṣṇu’s abode and benefit to 100 past and 100 future generations","lookup_keywords":["viṣṇu-ketana","kārayati","kula","śata","puṇya-phala"],"quick_summary":"Commissioning a Viṣṇu temple yields the stated spiritual fruit to the patron and extends benefit across lineage—one hundred future and one hundred past generations—framing temple-building as a supreme public meritorious act."}
Concept: Dharma operates transgenerationally: major public-good religious acts (like temple-building) generate lineage-wide uplift, linking individual agency with ancestral and descendant welfare.
Application: Encourage endowments for temple construction/renovation and long-term maintenance funds (nitya-sevā) as a lineage-oriented dharmic investment.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Dana-mahatmya (Temple-building and merit of devotional constructions)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A grand Viṣṇu temple under construction and then consecrated; the patron stands with family, while symbolic ancestral figures behind and future descendants ahead receive rays of merit, indicating ‘100 past and 100 future’ benefit.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, multi-register narrative: construction, consecration, and lineage blessing; Viṣṇu shrine glowing; ancestors in upper register, descendants in lower register; bold colors and ornamental borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, consecrated Viṣṇu temple with gold-leaf radiance; patron offering kalasha; stylized lineage figures receiving light; heavy ornamentation and sacred grandeur.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, architectural and ritual detail: sthapati plans, stone-laying, kumbhābhiṣeka; a diagrammatic lineage tree with ‘100’ markers subtly integrated; refined linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, panoramic temple-building scene with craftsmen, elephants carrying stone, patron supervising; later vignette of consecration; symbolic ancestors/descendants as faint haloed figures receiving blessings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Madhyamavati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: viṣṇoryaḥ = viṣṇoḥ + yaḥ (visarga sandhi); śatamāgāmi = śatam + āgāmi (vowel sandhi).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 38 (dāna-māhātmya; mandira-nirmāṇa; darśana-phala)
FAQs
It teaches the ritual-ethical principle that commissioning the construction of a Viṣṇu-ketana (a shrine/temple or sacred abode) yields a defined spiritual fruit, extending benefit across one’s lineage.
It reflects the Agni Purana’s coverage of practical religious culture—temple-building, patronage (kārayati), and merit-accounting—alongside its many other domains (ritual manuals, polity, arts, and sciences).
The verse frames temple construction for Viṣṇu as a high-merit act whose karmic result is not only personal but also lineage-linked, benefiting both ancestors and descendants (a hundred each).