Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 21
अध्याय १ — यजुर्विधानम्
Agni Purana, Chapter 259: Yajur-vidhāna
इदमापः प्रवहत स्नाने पापापनोदनं विश्वकर्मन्नु हविषा सूचीं लौहीन्दशाङ्गुलाम्
idamāpaḥ pravahata snāne pāpāpanodanaṃ viśvakarmannu haviṣā sūcīṃ lauhīndaśāṅgulām
‘हे आपः, प्रवाहित हो’—स्नान के समय यह पाप-नाशक होता है। और विश्वकर्मा का आह्वान करके हवि सहित दस अङ्गुल की लोहे की सुई की आहुति दे।
Lord Agni (narrating Agni Purana instructions to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use as a snāna-mantra for pāpa-nāśana; perform a small havis-offering invoking Viśvakarman with the specified iron needle as a ritual implement/oblation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Snāna-Mantra ‘Idam āpaḥ pravahata’ with Viśvakarman Havis and Iron Needle Offering","lookup_keywords":["snāna-mantra","pāpa-apanoḍana","āpaḥ","viśvakarman","lauhī sūcī"],"quick_summary":"A bathing rite for sin-removal paired with a Viśvakarman invocation and a havis-offering involving a ten-aṅgula iron needle, indicating a craft/ritual-technology linkage."}
Concept: External cleansing (snāna) is paired with mantra and offering to effect internal purification (pāpa-apanoḍana) through disciplined rite.
Application: Combine bodily hygiene, mindful recitation, and a small act of offering/renunciation to reinforce ethical reset and ritual readiness.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Snana-mantra and Papa-nashana rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee bathing while reciting to the Waters, with a small homa setup nearby and an offering to Viśvakarman including an iron needle.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: riverbank snāna scene, devotee with water-pot, stylized waves, small altar with flames, Viśvakarman shown with tools, saturated colors and ornamental frame.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central bathing devotee with gold-highlighted water ripples, Viśvakarman icon with tool emblems, small homa-kunda, embossed gold detailing on implements.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic composition showing sequence—snāna, havis, iron needle (ten-aṅgula) measured with a scale, fine lines and gentle palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed river ghat, devotee bathing, priest tending small fire, tiny iron needle depicted precisely, architectural pavilion in background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: idamāpaḥ→idam+āpaḥ; viśvakarmannu→viśvakarman+nu; lauhīndaśāṅgulām→lauhīm+daśāṅgulām (daśa+aṅgulām, dvigu).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 259 (Pūjā-vidhi: snāna-mantras and pāpa-nāśana prayogas)
FAQs
It gives a snāna-prayoga: a purification-bath mantra invoking the Waters for pāpa-apanodana (removal of sin), along with a havis-offering connected to Viśvakarman that specifies an iron needle of a fixed ritual measure (ten aṅgulas).
Beyond theology, it preserves practical liturgical detail—mantra phrasing, deity-invocation (Āpaḥ, Viśvakarman), and precise ritual implements and measurements—showing the text’s coverage of applied ritual technology and expiatory procedures.
Bathing accompanied by the Waters-invocation is framed as pāpa-apanodana (karmic purification), and the prescribed offering functions as a formal expiatory act that ritually seals the intention to remove impurity and restore religious cleanliness.