Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 7
वागीश्वरीपूजा
The Worship of Vāgīśvarī
शुक्लं पद्मं कर्णिका तु पीता चित्रन्तु केशरम् रक्ता वीथी तत्र कल्प्या द्वारं लोकेशरूपकं
śuklaṃ padmaṃ karṇikā tu pītā citrantu keśaram raktā vīthī tatra kalpyā dvāraṃ lokeśarūpakaṃ
ಶ್ವೇತ ಪದ್ಮವನ್ನು ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಬೇಕು; ಅದರ ಕರ್ಣಿಕಾ ಪೀತವರ್ಣವಾಗಿರಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕೇಶರಗಳು ವಿಚಿತ್ರವರ್ಣವಾಗಿರಲಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಂಪು ವೀಥಿ (ಯಾತ್ರಾ ಪಟ್ಟಿಕೆ)ಯನ್ನು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಬೇಕು; ದ್ವಾರವನ್ನು ಲೋಕೇಶ/ಲೋಕಪಾಲ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ರೂಪಿಸಬೇಕು.
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the usual Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Vastu","practical_application":"Creating a ritual lotus-maṇḍala with prescribed colors and a processional path, integrating a directional guardian (Lokapāla) doorway-form for consecration rites.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Padma-maṇḍala color-canon with raktā vīthī and Lokapāla-dvāra","lookup_keywords":["śukla-padma","karṇikā-pītā","keśara-citra","raktā-vīthī","lokapāla-dvāra"],"quick_summary":"Paint a white lotus with yellow pericarp and variegated stamens; add a red pathway band and shape the doorway as a Lokapāla-form to align the maṇḍala with directional guardianship."}
Concept: Ritual space becomes efficacious through varṇa-nyāsa (color placement) and dik-pālana (directional guardians).
Application: When drawing/constructing maṇḍalas, keep strict color zoning and align entrances with protective deities to stabilize the rite.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Mandala-Vastu (Ritual diagram and sacred layout instructions)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A floor-maṇḍala: a white lotus with yellow center and multicolored stamens, a red circumambulatory path, and a doorway depicted with a Lokapāla guardian motif facing a direction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, bold flat colors: white lotus, yellow karṇikā, variegated keśara, red vīthī ring; at the entrance a stylized Lokapāla figure integrated into the doorframe, temple floor context.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central lotus-maṇḍala with gold accents on the doorway and guardian ornaments, rich red vīthī band, symmetrical sacred geometry, jewel-like detailing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clean diagrammatic lotus with precise color blocks and labeled parts (petals/karṇikā/keśara/vīthī), Lokapāla doorway rendered as a neat iconographic inset.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, ritual hall scene with priests painting the lotus diagram, pigments and brushes visible, red pathway band, ornate doorway with a guardian figure, delicate architectural perspective."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चित्रन्तु → चित्रम् + तु (म्+त् sandhi).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 319 (maṇḍala/padma instructions); Agni Purana sections on pūjā-vidhi and dikpāla-nyāsa
FAQs
It gives precise color-and-component specifications for constructing a padma-mandala (lotus ritual diagram), including the lotus, its center, stamens, a red vīthī (processional band), and a doorway marked by a Lokapāla-form.
Beyond mythology, it preserves practical liturgical design—mandala color-coding, spatial bands, and gateway iconography—linking ritual performance, vastu-style layout, and deity placement in a technical manual-like style.
Correctly forming the mandala and placing the doorway with the directional lord is understood to align the rite with cosmic order (dik and loka-protection), supporting purification, protection, and the intended efficacy (siddhi) of worship.