Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 31
Adhyāya 375 — समाधिः
Samādhi
पितृयानोपवीथ्याश् च यदगस्त्यस्य चान्तरं तेनाग्निहोत्रिणो यान्ति प्रजाकामा दिवं प्रति
pitṛyānopavīthyāś ca yadagastyasya cāntaraṃ tenāgnihotriṇo yānti prajākāmā divaṃ prati
പിതൃയാനത്തിന്റെ ഉപപഥത്തിലൂടെയും അഗസ്ത്യനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ഇടവഴിയിലൂടെയും, അഗ്നിഹോത്രകർ—സന്താനകാമനയോടെ—സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തേക്കു പോകുന്നു.
Lord Agni (teaching the Purāṇic cosmography and ritual fruits) to Sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Jyotisha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Ritual cosmography: connects Agnihotra performance with post-mortem path (Pitryana) and stellar/astral markers (Agastya region), guiding ritual motivation and timing awareness.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Pitryana Route via Agastya Interval for Agnihotrins Seeking Progeny","lookup_keywords":["pitryana","agnihotra phala","agastya","divam yanti","prajakama"],"quick_summary":"Agnihotra performers who desire progeny are said to proceed heavenward along the Pitryana by-path, through an interval associated with Agastya—linking ritual merit to a mapped after-death trajectory."}
Concept: Vedic ritual (Agnihotra) yields specific post-mortem trajectories and fruits aligned with intention (progeny).
Application: Perform Agnihotra with correct sankalpa and regularity; cultivate shraddha and household discipline consistent with ritual life.
Khanda Section: Pitṛ-yāna and Vedic Ritual Cosmography (Agnihotra-phala / after-death paths)
Primary Rasa: Adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: Shraddha (devotional reverence)
Type: Cosmic/Star-Region
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritualist tending twin Agnihotra fires at dawn/dusk; above, a starry path labeled Pitryana arcs toward heaven, passing near the bright Agastya star-region, with ancestral motifs along the route.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, agnihotrin in white performing homa before two fires, smoke rising into a stylized night sky with a marked Agastya star, a luminous path (Pitryana) leading upward, traditional temple borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, homa altar with gold-highlighted flames, celestial pathway rendered with gold dots as stars, Agastya star emphasized, heaven palace in the upper register","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear ritual detail: ladle, ghee, fire-altar, timing cues (sunrise/sunset), and a schematic sky-map showing Pitryana and Agastya interval; fine linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic courtyard agnihotra scene with precise utensils, above a deep-blue sky with constellations, a delicate luminous trail toward a celestial court, calligraphic labels"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Malkauns","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पितृयानोपवीथ्याश् → पितृयान-उपवीथ्याः; यदगस्त्यस्य → यत् अगस्त्यस्य; चान्तरं → च अन्तरम्; तेनाग्निहोत्रिणो → तेन अग्निहोत्रिणः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Agnihotra/Ishti/homa-related dharma sections; Agni Purana: Cosmography and loka descriptions (heaven, paths)
FAQs
It links the Vedic Agnihotra rite with a specific post-mortem cosmological route (Pitṛyāna, via an ‘interval’ connected with Agastya), presenting ritual performance as determining the soul’s trajectory and reward.
It synthesizes ritual science (Agnihotra), karmic results (progeny and heaven), and astral/cosmic geography (Pitṛyāna and Agastya), demonstrating how the Agni Purana cross-references liturgy, ethics of merit, and cosmology.
The verse asserts that sustained sacred-fire practice yields both worldly fruit (progeny) and a higher post-mortem destination (heaven), framing Agnihotra as a merit-producing discipline that guides one’s afterlife path.