Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 5
Chapter 323 — The Six-Limbed Aghora Astras (षडङ्गान्यघोरस्त्राणि)
स्तम्भने धूम्र उच्चाटमारणे कृष्णवर्णकः कर्षणः कपिलो मोहे द्वात्रिंशद्वर्णमर्चयेत्
stambhane dhūmra uccāṭamāraṇe kṛṣṇavarṇakaḥ karṣaṇaḥ kapilo mohe dvātriṃśadvarṇamarcayet
止動（stambhana）の法には煙灰色（dhūmra）として供養し、逐出（uccāṭa）および破壊的降伏（māraṇa）の法には黒色として供養する。牽引・招引（karṣaṇa）の法にはカピラ（kapila）すなわち黄褐色として供養し、迷惑・惑乱（moha）の法には三十二種の色相の体系を用いて供養すべきである。
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Selecting the correct deity-color (varna) and worship-mode for specific abhichara and control rites: stambhana, uccatana, marana, karsana, moha.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Varna-bheda (color mapping) for Stambhana–Uccatana–Marana–Karsana–Moha","lookup_keywords":["stambhana-dhumra","uccatana-krishna","marana-krishna","karsana-kapila","moha-dvatrimshad-varna"],"quick_summary":"The verse gives a compact mapping of ritual aims to visualization colors: smoke-grey for immobilization, black for expulsion/destruction, tawny for attraction, and a thirty-two-color scheme for delusion rites."}
Concept: Upaya (means) classification: external form (varna) is treated as a functional parameter in mantra-kalpa to direct intention and outcome.
Application: In ritual manuals, keep a ‘karma-to-visualization’ table so the practitioner does not mix colors/forms across stambhana/uccatana/marana/karsana/moha.
Khanda Section: Isana-kalpa (Tantric/Ritual Mantra Applications)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A chart-like ritual scene showing the same deity/mantra-form in different colors for different rites: dhumra for stambhana, krishna for uccatana/marana, kapila for karsana, and a radiant 32-color spectrum for moha.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, four compartments around a central yantra: smoke-grey deity for stambhana, black fierce form for uccatana/marana, tawny form for karsana, and a many-hued swirling form for moha; bold outlines, temple border motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-embossed central yantra with four surrounding deity panels in dhumra/krishna/kapila and a jewel-like multi-color panel for 32-varna; heavy ornaments, gold halos, rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with Sanskrit labels for each karma and its varna, fine linework, soft washes, manuscript aesthetic, priest holding mala and showing mudras.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, a scholar-priest presenting an illustrated folio of four colored deity-forms to a patron; delicate palette, precise detailing, calligraphic captions for stambhana/uccatana/marana/karsana/moha."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: uccāṭamāraṇe treated as dvandva compound; dvātriṃśadvarṇam = dvātriṃśat + varṇam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: abhichara-karmas typology (shanti, paushtika, vashya, stambhana, uccatana, marana, mohana) in the same mantra-tantra khanda; Agni Purana: dhyana/varna prescriptions for devatas in kalpa sections
FAQs
It prescribes specific ritual color-assignments (varṇa) to match particular tantric operations (kriyās): dhūmra for stambhana, kṛṣṇa for uccāṭa/māraṇa, kapila for karṣaṇa, and a thirty-two-color scheme for moha—guiding visualization and worship-mode in sādhana.
Beyond myth and devotion, it records applied ritual-technology—categorizing operative rites and their technical parameters (here, varṇa-bheda). This is characteristic of the Agni Purāṇa’s wide scope, preserving procedural details alongside theology.
In the text’s ritual logic, aligning worship with the correct varṇa is a means of ensuring the rite’s intended efficacy; ethically, such kriyās are traditionally treated as powerful and potentially harmful, implying that right intention, restraint, and adherence to dharma are crucial for karmic accountability.