Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 13
Aghīrāstra-ādi-Śānti-kalpaḥ
Rite for Pacification of Aghora-Astra and Other Weapons
हस्तिन्यां मददृष्टौ च अयुताच्छान्तिरिष्यते अकाले गर्भपाते तु जातं यत्र विनश्यति
hastinyāṃ madadṛṣṭau ca ayutācchāntiriṣyate akāle garbhapāte tu jātaṃ yatra vinaśyati
हथिनी में मदोन्मत्त दृष्टि दिखाई दे तो दस हज़ार-मूल्य (अयुत) की महाशान्ति विधि कही गई है। और ऋतु के बाहर गर्भपात होने पर वहाँ जो जन्म लेता है, वह नष्ट हो जाता है।
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Reading specific omens (nimitta) and prescribing proportionate śānti (pacificatory) rites to avert loss, especially before/around major events and reproductive crises.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śānti for Elephant-in-musth Omen and Untimely Miscarriage","lookup_keywords":["hastinī-mada-dṛṣṭi","nimitta","ayuta-śānti","akāla-garbha-pāta","ariṣṭa-śānti"],"quick_summary":"Seeing a female elephant in musth is treated as a major ominous sign requiring an ‘ayuta’ (ten-thousand-grade) pacificatory rite. Untimely miscarriage is marked as a fatal ariṣṭa (perishing of the issue), prompting immediate remedial śānti and protective rites."}
Concept: Nimitta-jñāna (omen-reading) and prāyaścitta/śānti as dharmic response to ariṣṭa (threatening signs).
Application: Treat adverse signs as prompts for restraint, postponement, and propitiatory rites rather than reckless action.
Khanda Section: Shanti-kalpa (Omens, pacificatory rites, and remedial measures)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A village/royal road scene: a female elephant in musth with streaming temporal fluid and wild gaze; nearby priests prepare a large śānti rite with fire altar and offerings; a parallel vignette shows a worried household after an untimely miscarriage, seeking ritual protection.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and greens, stylized musth elephant with pronounced eyes and temple streaks, Brahmin priests around a homa-kuṇḍa performing śānti, secondary panel of household seeking blessings, flat iconic composition, traditional ornamentation.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf highlights: central musth elephant as ominous nimitta, priests performing grand śānti with ornate vessels, gold-work on ritual implements and borders, devotional-protective mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, delicate linework: instructional depiction of śānti setup—altar, ladles, offerings—alongside the omen of the elephant; subdued palette, emphasis on ritual details.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: courtly travel road with elephant in musth causing alarm, attendants and priests arranging a large fire rite; fine architectural background, detailed textiles, narrative split scene including household crisis."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अयुताच्छान्तिः = अयुतात् + शान्तिः (त् + श् → च्छ्).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 320 (Śānti-kalpa omens and remedies); Agni Purana 321 (Astra-śānti procedures as remedial follow-up)
FAQs
It gives an omen-based diagnostic and its remedy: seeing a female elephant in musth is treated as an inauspicious sign requiring an “ayuta-level” (major) śānti, and an untimely miscarriage is presented as an omen of loss/destruction of the outcome.
It exemplifies the Purana’s shanti-kalpa/utpāta literature—cataloging observable signs (animal omens, reproductive mishaps) and pairing them with graded ritual responses—showing how the text functions as a practical manual alongside theology.
The verse frames certain disturbing events as indicators of inauspicious karma or impending harm, and prescribes śānti as a corrective act to pacify forces causing obstruction and to restore auspicious order (śubha).