Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 25
Chapter 303: Mantras for Worship Beginning with the Five-syllable (Pañcākṣara) — पञ्चाक्षरादिपूजामन्त्राः
पूर्वे तत्पुरुषः श्वेतो अघोरो ऽष्टभुजो ऽसिताः चतुर्वाहुमुखः पीताः सद्योजातश् च पश्चिमे
pūrve tatpuruṣaḥ śveto aghoro 'ṣṭabhujo 'sitāḥ caturvāhumukhaḥ pītāḥ sadyojātaś ca paścime
पूर्व दिशा में तत्पुरुष श्वेतवर्ण है। अघोर कृष्णाभ और अष्टभुज है। (उत्तर में) वामदेव पीतवर्ण, चतुर्भुज तथा तदनुरूप मुखयुक्त है; और पश्चिम में सद्योजात स्थित है।
Lord Agni (narrating the Agni Purana’s ritual and iconographic instructions to the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Pañcabrahma-mūrti placement by direction (dik) for pūjā, dhyāna, and temple/maṇḍala iconographic planning.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Pañcabrahma Dik-varṇa-bāhu-vaktra (Tatpuruṣa–Aghora–Vāmadeva–Sadyojāta)","lookup_keywords":["Pañcabrahma","Tatpuruṣa east white","Aghora eight-armed dark","Vāmadeva north yellow","Sadyojāta west"],"quick_summary":"Assign the Śiva Pañcabrahma aspects to directions with specific colors and limb/face counts, enabling correct dik-nyāsa and iconographic visualization in ritual and image-making."}
Concept: Brahma-aspects of Śiva are accessed through ordered spatial placement (dik) and form-attributes (varṇa, bāhu, vaktra).
Application: Use in dhyāna and pūjā to stabilize visualization and ensure ritual correctness (yathā-nyāya).
Khanda Section: Isana-kalpa / Shiva-panchabrahma and deity-directional iconography (Puja-vidhi, Murti-lakshana)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual maṇḍala with Śiva’s aspects stationed by direction: east Tatpuruṣa white; north Vāmadeva yellow four-armed; west Sadyojāta; Aghora dark and eight-armed, all oriented around a central sanctum axis.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, pañcabrahma dik-vinyāsa around a central liṅga, flat luminous colors, Tatpuruṣa white in east, Aghora dark aṣṭabhuja, Vāmadeva yellow caturbhuja, sacred directional bands and lotus motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Śiva with surrounding directional pañcabrahma panels, heavy gold leaf halos, jeweled ornaments, clear color-coding (white/dark/yellow), temple arch framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional diagram-like composition of dik placement, fine linework, soft washes, labeled directions, each aspect with specified arms/faces and hues.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly precision with a geometric maṇḍala floor plan, four directional deities rendered with distinct hues and arm counts, delicate borders and calligraphic direction labels."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ऽ = aḥ/a elision: aghoro 'ṣṭabhujaḥ = aghoraḥ aṣṭabhujaḥ; 'sitāḥ = asitāḥ. sadyojātaś ca = sadyojātaḥ ca (visarga before ca).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 303 (Īśāna-kalpa: pañcabrahma/pañcavaktra sections)
FAQs
It gives the directional placement and iconographic identifiers (color and number of arms) for Śiva’s Pañcabrahma aspects—used in mandala arrangement, dhyāna (visualization), and nyāsa during Śaiva/Tantric-style worship.
Beyond myth, it preserves practical temple-and-ritual technology: deity taxonomy (Pañcabrahma), precise iconography (varna, bhujā), and spatial ritual mapping (dik-nyāsa), showing the Purana’s coverage of applied liturgy and image-science.
Correctly visualizing and installing the deity’s aspects by direction is held to stabilize worship, purify the practitioner’s body-mind through nyāsa, and align the rite with cosmic order (dik and tattva), enhancing the intended merit (puṇya) and efficacy (siddhi) of the pūjā.