Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 19
Chapter 21 — सामान्यपूजाकथनम्
Teaching on General Worship
राहुः केतुस्तेजश् चण्डः सङ्क्षेपादथ पूजनं आसनं मूर्तये मूलं हृदाद्यं परिचारकः
rāhuḥ ketustejaś caṇḍaḥ saṅkṣepādatha pūjanaṃ āsanaṃ mūrtaye mūlaṃ hṛdādyaṃ paricārakaḥ
राहू व केतू यांना ‘तेज’ व ‘चण्ड’ असेही म्हणतात. संक्षेपाने त्यांची पूजा अशी—देवमूर्तीला आसन अर्पण करावे, मूलमंत्र व हृदयादि-न्यास करावा, आणि परिचारक देवतांचे आवाहन करावे.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Jyotisha","practical_application":"Brief procedure for Rāhu–Ketu worship within navagraha context: āsana offering, mūrti establishment, mūla-mantra japa, hṛd-ādi nyāsa, and attendant-deity invocation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Rāhu–Ketu pūjanasaṅkṣepa: āsana, mūla, hṛd-ādi nyāsa, paricāraka","lookup_keywords":["Rahu Ketu puja","Tejas Caṇḍa","mūla-mantra","hṛd-ādi nyāsa","paricāraka devatā"],"quick_summary":"Summarizes the essential steps for worshipping Rāhu and Ketu: seat offering, root-mantra, heart-onward nyāsa, and honoring attendant powers. Used in graha-śānti and navagraha pūjā sequences."}
Concept: Even ‘shadow’ grahas are integrated into dharmic worship through orderly ritual steps—seat, mantra, nyāsa, and attendants—transforming fear into regulated devotion.
Application: Use the concise sequence as a checklist in graha-śānti, especially when time-bound (e.g., eclipse observances).
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Navagraha/Jyotisha-related worship and mantra-nyasa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A navagraha altar where Rāhu and Ketu are invoked with offerings: a seat placed before their icons/yantras, the worshipper performs heart-to-limb nyāsa, and attendant deities are honored around.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Rāhu and Ketu as powerful shadow deities flanking a central altar; priest performing hṛdaya-nyāsa; attendants as small subsidiary figures; dark blues/greens with fiery accents.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: two-panel composition with Rāhu and Ketu in ornate frames; gold work emphasizing their halos; ritual items (āsana cloth, flowers, lamps) in foreground; attendants in miniature niches.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: stepwise instructional scene—(1) āsana offering, (2) mūla-mantra japa, (3) hṛd-ādi nyāsa, (4) paricāraka offerings—arranged as four vignettes with captions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: eclipse-night ambience with a small shrine; Rāhu–Ketu symbols subtly in the sky; worshipper performing nyāsa; attendants depicted as small guardian figures; fine detailing of lamps and offerings."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"focused","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: केतुस्तेजः = केतुः + तेजः (विसर्ग-लोप).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 21 (navagraha pūjā sequence; nyāsa beginning with hṛdaya)
FAQs
It outlines a compact Rahu–Ketu pūjā sequence: offer āsana to the mūrti, apply the mūla-mantra, perform hṛd-ādi nyāsa (heart and related placements), and acknowledge/invoke the paricārakas (attendant deities).
It exemplifies the Purana’s manual-like coverage of specialized ritual technology—graha (planetary/node) propitiation, mantra procedure, and nyāsa—alongside its many other domains (polity, medicine, architecture, poetics).
Rāhu–Ketu propitiation and nyāsa-based worship are aimed at graha-śānti—reducing eclipse-node afflictions, removing obstacles, and securing ritual purity and steadiness of mind through disciplined invocation.