Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 1
Mantras for Worship Beginning with the Five-Syllabled
Mantra) — Concluding Colophon (Chapter 304 end
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे पञ्चाक्षरादिपूजामन्त्रा नाम त्र्यधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः अथ चतुरधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः पञ्चपञ्चाशद्विष्णुनामाणि अग्निर् उवाच जपन् वै पञ्चपञ्चाशद्विष्णुनामानि यो नरः मन्त्रजप्यादिफलभाक् तीर्थेष्वर्चादि चाक्षयम्
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe pañcākṣarādipūjāmantrā nāma tryadhikatriśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ atha caturadhikatriśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ pañcapañcāśadviṣṇunāmāṇi agnir uvāca japan vai pañcapañcāśadviṣṇunāmāni yo naraḥ mantrajapyādiphalabhāk tīrtheṣvarcādi cākṣayam
Demikianlah dalam Agni Mahāpurāṇa berakhir bab ke-304 berjudul “Mantra-mantra Pemujaan yang dimulai dengan Mantra Lima Suku Kata.” Kini dimulai bab ke-305: “Lima Puluh Lima Nama Viṣṇu.” Agni bersabda: Barangsiapa melafalkan lima puluh lima nama Viṣṇu ini, ia memperoleh buah dari japa-mantra dan amalan sejenis; dan di tempat-tempat ziarah suci, pemujaan serta persembahan yang dilakukannya menjadi tak binasa.
Lord Agni (narrating to the sages; traditionally to Vasiṣṭha in Agni Purāṇa framing)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Stotra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use the ‘55 Names of Viṣṇu’ as a nāma-japa/stotra practice to gain japa-phala and make tīrtha-based worship/offerings enduring (akṣaya).","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Pañcapañcāśad Viṣṇu-nāmāni (55 Names of Viṣṇu) and their Japa-phala","lookup_keywords":["viṣṇu-nāma","pañcapañcāśat","nāma-japa","akṣaya-phala","tīrtha-arcana"],"quick_summary":"Reciting Viṣṇu’s 55 names is presented as a compact stotra-japa yielding mantra-recitation merit; worship done at pilgrimage sites becomes ‘imperishable’ in result."}
Concept: Nāma-japa is a portable sādhana whose merit supports and ‘seals’ other religious acts, especially in tīrthas.
Application: Adopt a daily/occasional regimen of reciting the 55 names; pair it with tīrtha-arcana/dāna for sustained religious merit.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi & Mantra-shastra (Nama-japa / Stotra-vidhi)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Agni narrates the beginning of a chapter listing Viṣṇu’s 55 names; a devotee performs nāma-japa, and at a tīrtha performs worship whose fruits become imperishable.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Agni as sage-like narrator beside palm-leaf manuscript, devotee with japa-mālā before Viṣṇu shrine near a river-tīrtha, lamps and temple trees, devotional stillness.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Viṣṇu enthroned with gold-leaf aura, devotee chanting names with mālā, small vignette of tīrtha-ghāṭa and offerings, ornate borders and rich jewel tones.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: manuscript-and-recitation scene, clear depiction of mālā counting and offering tray, subtle background of pilgrimage steps, refined linework emphasizing practice.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: scholar-sage (Agni’s discourse) in a garden pavilion, devotee reciting from a list, distant riverbank pilgrimage scene, intricate textiles and architectural framing."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Madhyamavati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इत्य् = इति + (अग्नेये) (इति + अ → इत्य); तमो ऽध्यायः = तमः + अध्यायः (ः + अ → ऽ); अग्निर् उवाच = अग्निः + उवाच (ः + उ → र्); तीर्थेष्वर्चादि = तीर्थेषु + अर्चादि (उ + अ → व).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 303: pañcākṣarādi-pūjāmantra context leading into this nāma section; Agni Purana nāma/stotra and phala-śruti passages in adjacent chapters (304–305 sequence)
FAQs
It introduces the practice of nāma-japa—reciting the fifty-five names of Viṣṇu—and states its ritual efficacy: it yields the same class of merit as mantra-japa and allied devotional rites, and renders tīrtha-based worship ‘akṣaya’ (undiminishing).
The verse functions as a chapter-colophon and topic-transition, showing how the Agni Purāṇa catalogs practical religious technologies—pūjā-mantras, name-lists, and their results—alongside other disciplines, thereby acting as a compendium of applied dharma and ritual method.
It teaches that Viṣṇu-nāma recitation produces lasting (akṣaya) religious merit, especially when paired with pilgrimage-site worship, emphasizing enduring karmic fruit through devotion and mantra-discipline.