Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 23
Chapter 23 — पूजाविधिकथनम्
The Account of the Rules of Worship
चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः अस्मल्लब्धपुस्तकेषु विष्णुरर्घोवसानत इति विष्णावर्घौ च मानतः इति च पाठो वर्तते अयन्स्वसमीचीन इव प्रतिभाति विष्णुमर्घ्यासनादिभिरिति तु युक्तः पाठः मध्यगुल्फादितः पिस्फच इति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः नवाब्जे नवमूर्त्या च नवव्यूहञ्च पूर्ववत् इष्टं मध्ये ततः स्थाने वासुदेवञ्च पूजयेत्
cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ asmallabdhapustakeṣu viṣṇurarghovasānata iti viṣṇāvarghau ca mānataḥ iti ca pāṭho vartate ayansvasamīcīna iva pratibhāti viṣṇumarghyāsanādibhiriti tu yuktaḥ pāṭhaḥ madhyagulphāditaḥ pisphaca iti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ navābje navamūrtyā ca navavyūhañca pūrvavat iṣṭaṃ madhye tataḥ sthāne vāsudevañca pūjayet
Bacaan bertanda (nota varian): Dalam manuskrip yang sampai kepada kami terdapat bacaan “viṣṇur argho ’vasānataḥ” dan juga “viṣṇāv arghau ca mānataḥ”. Ini tampaknya kurang tepat; bacaan yang lebih sesuai ialah “viṣṇum arghyāsanādibhiḥ”, yakni: “(hendaklah menyembah) Viṣṇu dengan arghya, āsana, dan persembahan-persembahan lain.” (Satu lagi varian yang dicatat: “madhya-gulphāditaḥ … pisphaca,” dalam ṅa.) Bacaan bertanda: “Di dalam teratai sembilan kelopak, dengan sembilan wujud dan sembilan vyūha seperti sebelumnya; pada pusat yang dikehendaki, kemudian di tempat itu hendaklah menyembah Vāsudeva.”
Lord Agni (in dialogue with Vasiṣṭha; ritual instruction voice, with embedded scribal/critical-note style variants)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Text-critical and ritual-corrective guidance: choosing the appropriate pāṭha for pūjā (arghya–āsana offerings to Viṣṇu) and specifying nava-abja (nine-petalled lotus) placement for nine forms/vyūhas with Vāsudeva in the center.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Pāṭha-bheda (variant readings) and Correct Ritual Reading for Viṣṇu Arghya–Āsana; Nava-abja Nava-mūrti/Nava-vyūha with Vāsudeva in the Center","lookup_keywords":["pāṭhabheda","arghya","āsana","nava-abja","Vāsudeva"],"quick_summary":"Rejects awkward manuscript readings and prefers ‘viṣṇum arghyāsanādibhiḥ’ to match ritual logic; prescribes worship in a nine-petalled lotus with nine forms/vyūhas, installing Vāsudeva at the desired center."}
Concept: Aucitya and pramāṇa in ritual transmission: correct wording safeguards correct action (kriyā).
Application: When manuscripts differ, prefer the reading that coheres with established pūjā sequence (arghya, āsana, etc.) and with the maṇḍala placement scheme.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Vishnu/Nava-vyuha worship; Arghya-āsana and lotus-maṇḍala ritual procedure)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scribe-scholar comparing manuscripts with marked variant readings, alongside a ritual diagram of a nine-petalled lotus maṇḍala where Vāsudeva is installed at the center and offerings (arghya, āsana) are presented to Viṣṇu.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split scene: left a palm-leaf manuscript with red/black correction marks, right a bright nine-petalled lotus maṇḍala with central Vāsudeva symbol (śaṅkha-cakra), priest offering arghya, earthy tones and bold outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Vāsudeva on a lotus with nine petals, gold leaf on lotus and halo, small inset showing manuscript variants with highlighted correct reading, ritual vessels for arghya and āsana in foreground.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic layout: clean lotus diagram labeled nava-mūrti/nava-vyūha, center labeled Vāsudeva; margin note panel showing alternative readings crossed out and preferred reading emphasized, soft palette and precise lines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, a scholar-priest in a library niche holding two manuscripts, a painted lotus maṇḍala on the floor, delicate calligraphy of the preferred pāṭha, fine detailing of arghya vessel and seat offering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Saraswati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: This item contains extensive editorial prose; sandhi resolved where applicable: विष्णुरर्घोवसानत = विष्णुः अर्घ-उपवासनतः (reading uncertain); विष्णावर्घौ = विष्णौ अर्घौ; विष्णुमर्घ्यासनादिभिः = विष्णुम् अर्घ्य-आसन-आदिभिः; नवाब्जे = नव-अब्जे; नवव्यूहञ्च = नव-व्यूहम् च; वासुदेवञ्च = वासुदेवम् च.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 23 (arghya–āsana and āvaraṇa worship sequence; nava-vyūha context)
FAQs
It specifies Viṣṇu-upacāra procedure—worship with arghya and āsana—and the placement-worship rule in a nine-petalled lotus diagram, culminating in Vāsudeva worship at the centre with the nine forms/vyūhas arranged as earlier.
It preserves practical pūjā-vidhi (offerings, seating, maṇḍala placement) and even records manuscript variant readings, showing the text’s dual role as a ritual handbook and a transmitted scholastic tradition.
Correctly offering arghya, āsana, and the prescribed central worship of Vāsudeva is presented as aligning the ritual with proper order (vidhi), thereby enhancing purity, devotion, and the intended sacrificial merit (puṇya) of the worship.