Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 22
Chapter 38 — देवालयनिर्माणफलं
The Merit of Constructing a Temple
दुःखार्जितैर् यः कृष्णस्य न कारयति केतनं नोपभोग्यं धनं यस्य पितृविप्रदिवौकसां
duḥkhārjitair yaḥ kṛṣṇasya na kārayati ketanaṃ nopabhogyaṃ dhanaṃ yasya pitṛvipradivaukasāṃ
കഷ്ടാർജിത ധനത്തോടെ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണനുവേണ്ടി കേതനം (ക്ഷേത്രം/നിവാസം) പണിയിക്കാത്തവനും, തന്റെ ധനം പിതൃകൾക്കും ബ്രാഹ്മണർക്കും ദേവന്മാർക്കും ഹിതമായി ഉപയോഗിക്കാത്തവനും നിന്ദ്യനാകുന്നു।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as the standard narration-frame of the Agni Purāṇa)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Shilpa","practical_application":"Householders should convert hard-earned wealth into dharmic utility: build/commission a Kṛṣṇa shrine or dwelling for worship, and allocate resources for pitṛ-tarpaṇa/śrāddha, hospitality to brāhmaṇas, and deva-yajña rather than hoarding.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Duhkhārjita-dhana-viniyoga: Kṛṣṇa-ketana and obligations to pitṛ–vipra–deva","lookup_keywords":["duḥkhārjita dhana","kṛṣṇa ketana","pitṛ vipra deva","dhanaviniyoga","dāna dharma"],"quick_summary":"Wealth earned with effort becomes meaningful only when directed to worship-infrastructure (Kṛṣṇa’s ketana) and to the triad of duties toward ancestors, Brahmins, and gods; otherwise it is censured as unused and unrighteous."}
Concept: Artha is justified only when subordinated to yajña–dāna–sevā; hoarded wealth is spiritually sterile.
Application: Budgeting wealth into (1) deva-kārya (temple/shrine, pūjā), (2) pitṛ-kārya (śrāddha/tarpaṇa), (3) vipra-sevā (dāna, hospitality), preventing ‘anupabhogya’ accumulation.
Khanda Section: Dana-dharma (Charity, merit, and household religious duty)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder offers his hard-earned wealth to commission a small Kṛṣṇa shrine; nearby, brāhmaṇas are honored with gifts and a pitṛ-śrāddha rite is performed, contrasting with a miser hoarding coins.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, warm earthy palette, gṛhastha in white mundu offering gold and flowers before a small Kṛṣṇa sanctum with lamp, brāhmaṇas receiving dāna, pitṛ-tarpaṇa with kuśa grass, stylized architecture, flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, rich gold leaf, central Kṛṣṇa in shrine niche with ornate arch, donor couple presenting dāna, brāhmaṇas seated with palm-leaf texts, ritual vessels, heavy jewelry and textile detailing, luminous halo effects","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, delicate linework, instructional clarity: labeled elements—ketana/ālaya, dāna to vipra, pitṛ-tarpaṇa setup—soft colors, minimal background, emphasis on ritual sequence","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly domestic setting: patron commissioning artisans for a small temple pavilion, accountants with ledgers, brāhmaṇas blessing, pitṛ-rite in courtyard, fine architectural perspective and detailed textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दुःखार्जितैर् → दुःखार्जितैः (र्-आदेश before voiced consonant); नोपभोग्यं → न + उपभोग्यम्; पितृविप्रदिवौकसां is treated as a dvandva compound in genitive plural.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Dana-dharma sections on dāna-phala and gṛhastha duties; Agni Purana passages on pratimā-lakṣaṇa and devālaya-nirmāṇa (śilpa topics)
FAQs
It prescribes dhārmic allocation of hard-earned wealth: commissioning a sacred abode (ketana—interpretable as a shrine/temple) for Kṛṣṇa and directing resources toward pitṛ-rites, honoring Brahmins, and deva-related religious duties rather than sterile hoarding.
Alongside theology, the Agni Purāṇa codifies practical social-religious economics—how a householder should deploy wealth through temple-building, ancestor-rites, and support of ritual specialists—integrating devotion, ritual duty, and ethics into a single prescriptive framework.
Wealth gains merit when converted into dharma—devotional construction and sanctioned offerings; unused/hoarded wealth is portrayed as spiritually unproductive, failing to generate puṇya for the donor and neglecting obligations to gods, ancestors, and Brahmins.