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
Sesiapa yang dengan harta yang diperoleh melalui kesusahan tidak mengusahakan didirikannya sebuah kediaman/rumah suci (ketana) bagi Kṛṣṇa, dan hartanya pula tidak dimanfaatkan untuk para Pitṛ (leluhur), para Brahmana dan para dewa—maka dia dicela kerana gagal menggunakan kekayaan menurut dharma.
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.