Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 23
Chapter 21 — सामान्यपूजाकथनम्
Teaching on General Worship
श्रीं श्रीर्महालक्ष्मीतार्क्ष्यो गुरुरिन्द्रादयो ऽर्चनम् सरस्वत्यासनं मूर्तिरौं ह्रीं दधी सरस्वती
śrīṃ śrīrmahālakṣmītārkṣyo gururindrādayo 'rcanam sarasvatyāsanaṃ mūrtirauṃ hrīṃ dadhī sarasvatī
‘ਸ਼੍ਰੀਂ’ ਬੀਜ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ (ਲਕਸ਼ਮੀ), ਮਹਾਲਕਸ਼ਮੀ, ਤਾਰਕ੍ਸ਼੍ਯ (ਗਰੁੜ), ਗੁਰੂ ਅਤੇ ਇੰਦਰ ਆਦਿ ਦਾ ਸ੍ਵਰੂਪ ਹੈ—ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਅਰਚਨਾ ਕਰਨੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ। ਸਰਸਵਤੀ ਦਾ ਆਸਨ ਅਤੇ ਮੂਰਤੀ ‘ਓਂ’ ਅਤੇ ‘ਹ੍ਰੀਂ’ ਬੀਜਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਆਹਵਾਨ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ। ‘ਦਧੀ’ (ਦਹੀਂ) ਸਰਸਵਤੀ ਦਾ ਨੈਵੇਦ੍ਯ/ਲਛਣ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Stotra","practical_application":"Bīja-to-devatā mapping for arcana; includes āvaraṇa (Lakṣmī, Mahālakṣmī, Garuḍa, Guru, Indra etc.), Sarasvatī-āsana/mūrti invocation, and offering marker (dadhī).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Bīja-devatā Associations and Offerings in Arcana (Śrīṃ, Auṃ, Hrīṃ; Dadhī for Sarasvatī)","lookup_keywords":["śrīṃ bīja","Mahālakṣmī","Tārkṣya Garuḍa","Sarasvatī āsana mūrti","dadhī offering"],"quick_summary":"Use śrīṃ to invoke Śrī/Lakṣmī and related worship set (Mahālakṣmī, Garuḍa, Guru, Indra etc.); invoke Sarasvatī’s seat and form with auṃ and hrīṃ, and offer curd as her sign/offering."}
Concept: Bīja-mantra as devatā-sūcaka (seed as pointer to deity) and upacāra-niyama (appropriate offering/sign).
Application: During pūjā, align bīja with the intended devatā and choose congruent upacāra (e.g., dadhī for Sarasvatī) to maintain ritual coherence.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Mantra, Nyasa, and Devata-archana)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pūjā arrangement showing Lakṣmī’s śrīṃ invocation and Sarasvatī’s āsana/mūrti invocation with auṃ and hrīṃ; a small bowl of curd (dadhī) placed as Sarasvatī’s offering, with Garuḍa, Guru, and Indra as attendant worship targets.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, shrine interior with Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī panels, priest performing arcana, visible offering bowl of curd, Garuḍa motif near Viṣṇu side, traditional lamps and lotus borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī as paired icons with gold-leaf halos, embossed ornaments, offering tray prominently featuring dadhī in a silver bowl, mantra syllables śrīṃ auṃ hrīṃ subtly in border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional pūjā diagram: labeled positions for Lakṣmī/Mahālakṣmī, Garuḍa, Guru, Indra; Sarasvatī āsana and mūrti indicated; dadhī offering highlighted; neat linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar-priest in a library-temple setting performing Sarasvatī worship, manuscripts and veena nearby, small bowl of curd on a tray, delicate architectural details and patterned carpets"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Saraswati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्रीर्महालक्ष्मी… → श्रीः + महालक्ष्मी…; गुरुरिन्द्रादयः → गुरुḥ + इन्द्रादयः; ऽर्चनम् → अर्चनम् (अवग्रहः = अ-लोप-सूचक).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Puja-vidhi sections on bīja-nyāsa and devatā-āvaraṇa; Agni Purana: Sarasvatī/Lakṣmī stotra-mantra passages
FAQs
It lists specific mantra-bījas (śrīṃ, auṃ, hrīṃ), the deities linked to them, and the archana/invocation elements—especially Sarasvatī’s āsana and mūrti—and indicates a ritual offering marker (dadhī/curd) for Sarasvatī.
It functions like a compact ritual manual entry: mapping seeds, deities, and worship components (archana, āsana, mūrti, offering). Such catalog-style instructions are characteristic of the Agni Purāṇa’s wide-ranging, procedural coverage of pūjā and mantra practice.
Correctly aligning bīja-mantras, deity-invocation (āsana/mūrti), and proper offerings is presented in Purāṇic ritual logic as producing siddhi in learning and speech (Sarasvatī) and prosperity/auspiciousness (Śrī/Lakṣmī), while purifying the worshipper through orderly devotion.