Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 5
Worship of Gaurī and Others (Gauryādi-pūjā) — Mantra, Maṇḍala, Mudrā, Homa, and Mṛtyuñjaya Kalaśa-Rite
उदकाञ्च तथा कालं शिववीजं समुद्धरेत् प्राणं दीर्घस्वराक्रान्तं षडङ्गं जातिसंयुतम्
udakāñca tathā kālaṃ śivavījaṃ samuddharet prāṇaṃ dīrghasvarākrāntaṃ ṣaḍaṅgaṃ jātisaṃyutam
Demikian pula, hendaknya diturunkan bentuk mantrik untuk ‘air’ dan untuk ‘waktu’, serta diekstrak pula bīja Śiva. Bīja itu hendaknya diambil dengan prāṇa (resonansi nasal), bertanda vokal panjang, dilengkapi ṣaḍaṅga, dan disatukan dengan jāti yang semestinya.
Lord Agni (narrating the ritual/mantra procedure, as typical for Agni Purana’s instructional chapters)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Deriving/encoding bīja-mantras and associated phonemic ‘jāti’ and ṣaḍaṅga specifications for ritual use (especially extracting forms for ‘water’, ‘time’, and Śiva-bīja).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Extraction of udaka-kāla mantras and Śiva-bīja with prāṇa, dīrgha, ṣaḍaṅga, jāti","lookup_keywords":["udaka mantra","kāla mantra","śiva-bīja","prāṇa dīrgha","ṣaḍaṅga jāti"],"quick_summary":"Derive the mantric forms for ‘water’ and ‘time’ and the Śiva-seed; the Śiva-bīja is specified as prāṇa-bearing, long-vowel-marked, ṣaḍaṅga-equipped, and assigned to its proper phonemic jāti for correct nyāsa and japa."}
Concept: Mantra efficacy is tied to śabda-śakti: nasal/aspirated resonance (prāṇa), vowel-length (dīrgha), and auxiliary limbs (ṣaḍaṅga) are not ornamental but constitutive.
Application: In japa/nyāsa, keep exact phonetics (nasalization/visarga/aspiration as prescribed) and apply ṣaḍaṅga-nyāsa consistently; avoid casual substitutions of short/long vowels.
Khanda Section: Mantra-vidhi (Tantric ritual and seed-mantra extraction)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tantric teacher demonstrates phoneme extraction: writing ‘udaka’, ‘kāla’, and a Śiva-bīja, marking long vowels and nasal/aspirate signs, with a diagram of ṣaḍaṅga around the syllable.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized syllables floating like flames, guru pointing to long vowel marks, six-limbed nyāsa diagram encircling a central bīja, warm ochres and deep greens","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central glowing bīja in gold, surrounding six nyāsa positions as small medallions, Śiva presence as subtle lingam motif, rich gold embossing","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic chart-like composition: bīja with dīrgha sign, prāṇa marker, labeled ṣaḍaṅga points, fine lines and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar’s desk with inkpot and papers, precise calligraphy of mantras, marginal notes indicating dīrgha and prāṇa, understated Śiva icon in background"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Tōḍī","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: उदकाञ्च → उदकान् + च; दीर्घस्वराक्रान्तम् → दीर्घ-स्वर-आक्रान्तम्; षडङ्गम् → षड्-अङ्गम्; जातिसंयुतम् → जाति-संयुतम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 325.4 (triad syllables; jāti mention); Agni Purana 325.7 (bīja constitution: vahni-māyā-kṛśānu)
FAQs
It teaches bīja-uddhāra (deriving seed-mantras) and how to apply them with prāṇa resonance, long-vowel marking, and ṣaḍaṅga (six-part) nyāsa structure.
Beyond mythology, it preserves precise tantric-ritual technology—mantra derivation, phonetic classification (jāti), and nyāsa frameworks—showing the text’s coverage of applied liturgy and mantra-science.
Correctly formed and limb-supported bījas are held to make worship effective and purifying, aligning the practitioner’s speech and body (through nyāsa) with Śiva-mantra potency.