Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 21
अध्याय १ — यजुर्विधानम्
Agni Purana, Chapter 259: Yajur-vidhāna
इदमापः प्रवहत स्नाने पापापनोदनं विश्वकर्मन्नु हविषा सूचीं लौहीन्दशाङ्गुलाम्
idamāpaḥ pravahata snāne pāpāpanodanaṃ viśvakarmannu haviṣā sūcīṃ lauhīndaśāṅgulām
‘हे आपः, प्रवाहित व्हा’—स्नानकाळी हे पापनाशक ठरते. आणि विश्वकर्म्याचे आवाहन करून हविष्यासह दहा अङ्गुळांची लोखंडी सुई आहुती द्यावी.
Lord Agni (narrating Agni Purana instructions to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use as a snāna-mantra for pāpa-nāśana; perform a small havis-offering invoking Viśvakarman with the specified iron needle as a ritual implement/oblation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Snāna-Mantra ‘Idam āpaḥ pravahata’ with Viśvakarman Havis and Iron Needle Offering","lookup_keywords":["snāna-mantra","pāpa-apanoḍana","āpaḥ","viśvakarman","lauhī sūcī"],"quick_summary":"A bathing rite for sin-removal paired with a Viśvakarman invocation and a havis-offering involving a ten-aṅgula iron needle, indicating a craft/ritual-technology linkage."}
Concept: External cleansing (snāna) is paired with mantra and offering to effect internal purification (pāpa-apanoḍana) through disciplined rite.
Application: Combine bodily hygiene, mindful recitation, and a small act of offering/renunciation to reinforce ethical reset and ritual readiness.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Snana-mantra and Papa-nashana rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee bathing while reciting to the Waters, with a small homa setup nearby and an offering to Viśvakarman including an iron needle.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: riverbank snāna scene, devotee with water-pot, stylized waves, small altar with flames, Viśvakarman shown with tools, saturated colors and ornamental frame.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central bathing devotee with gold-highlighted water ripples, Viśvakarman icon with tool emblems, small homa-kunda, embossed gold detailing on implements.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic composition showing sequence—snāna, havis, iron needle (ten-aṅgula) measured with a scale, fine lines and gentle palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed river ghat, devotee bathing, priest tending small fire, tiny iron needle depicted precisely, architectural pavilion in background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: idamāpaḥ→idam+āpaḥ; viśvakarmannu→viśvakarman+nu; lauhīndaśāṅgulām→lauhīm+daśāṅgulām (daśa+aṅgulām, dvigu).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 259 (Pūjā-vidhi: snāna-mantras and pāpa-nāśana prayogas)
FAQs
It gives a snāna-prayoga: a purification-bath mantra invoking the Waters for pāpa-apanodana (removal of sin), along with a havis-offering connected to Viśvakarman that specifies an iron needle of a fixed ritual measure (ten aṅgulas).
Beyond theology, it preserves practical liturgical detail—mantra phrasing, deity-invocation (Āpaḥ, Viśvakarman), and precise ritual implements and measurements—showing the text’s coverage of applied ritual technology and expiatory procedures.
Bathing accompanied by the Waters-invocation is framed as pāpa-apanodana (karmic purification), and the prescribed offering functions as a formal expiatory act that ritually seals the intention to remove impurity and restore religious cleanliness.