Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 25
Daṣṭa-cikitsā (Treatment for Bites) — Mantra-Dhyāna-Auṣadha Protocols for Viṣa
हर हर हृदयाय नमः कपर्दिने च शिरसे नीलकण्ठाय वै शिखां कालकूटविषभक्षणाय स्वाहा अथ वर्म च कण्ठे नेत्रं कृत्तिवासास्त्रिनेत्रं पूर्वाद्यैर् आननैर् युक्तं श्वेतपीतारुणासितैः अभयं वरदं चापं वासुकिञ्च दधद्भुजैः यस्योपरीतपार्श्वस्थगौरीरुद्रो ऽस्य देवता
hara hara hṛdayāya namaḥ kapardine ca śirase nīlakaṇṭhāya vai śikhāṃ kālakūṭaviṣabhakṣaṇāya svāhā atha varma ca kaṇṭhe netraṃ kṛttivāsāstrinetraṃ pūrvādyair ānanair yuktaṃ śvetapītāruṇāsitaiḥ abhayaṃ varadaṃ cāpaṃ vāsukiñca dadhadbhujaiḥ yasyoparītapārśvasthagaurīrudro 'sya devatā
“ਹਰ ਹਰ! ਹਿਰਦੇ ਨੂੰ ਨਮਸਕਾਰ। ਸਿਰ ਨੂੰ ਕਪર્દਿਨ ਨੂੰ ਨਮਸਕਾਰ। ਸ਼ਿਖਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਨੀਲਕੰਠ ਨੂੰ (ਨਮਸਕਾਰ)। ਕਾਲਕੂਟ ਵਿਸ਼ ਭੱਖਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਸ੍ਵਾਹਾ।” ਹੁਣ ਗਲ੍ਹ ਵਿੱਚ ਵਰਮ ਅਤੇ ਨੇਤ੍ਰ-ਨਿਆਸ ਕਰੇ—ਕ੍ਰਿੱਤਿਵਾਸ, ਤ੍ਰਿਨੇਤਰ, ਪੂਰਬ ਆਦਿ ਮੁਖਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਯੁਕਤ; ਮੁਖ ਸਫੈਦ, ਪੀਲੇ, ਅਰੁਣ ਅਤੇ ਕਾਲੇ; ਭੁਜਾਵਾਂ ਅਭਯ, ਵਰਦ, ਧਨੁਸ਼ ਅਤੇ ਵਾਸੁਕੀ ਧਾਰਨ ਕਰਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ; ਇਸ ਕਵਚ/ਨਿਆਸ ਦੀ ਦੇਵਤਾ ਉੱਪਰਲੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਗੌਰੀ ਸਮੇਤ ਰੁਦ੍ਰ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Śaiva kavaca/nyāsa for protection—placing mantras on heart, head, śikhā, throat and ‘eye’ locus; visualization of multi-faced, tri-netra Rudra with weapons/serpent and Gaurī as associated devatā.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Nīlakaṇṭha-Rudra Kavaca Nyāsa (Kālakūṭa-viṣa-bhakṣaṇa Protector)","lookup_keywords":["hara hara","kapardin","nīlakaṇṭha","kavaca nyāsa","kālakūṭa"],"quick_summary":"A protective Śaiva sequence assigns mantras to bodily loci (hṛdaya, śiras, śikhā, kaṇṭha/‘netra’) and visualizes tri-eyed, multi-faced Rudra bearing bow and Vāsuki, with Gaurī as the presiding power."}
Alamkara Type: Anuprasa (repetitive vocative ‘hara hara’)
Weapon Type: Bow
Concept: Kavaca-nyāsa internalizes divinity as protective anatomy—mantra mapped onto bodily centers to generate fearlessness and resilience.
Application: Perform nyāsa with steady breath and clear visualization; use as daily protective discipline or in crisis situations.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Mantra-kavacha (Shaiva protection-mantras and nyasa)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A Śaiva practitioner performing kavaca-nyāsa: touching heart, head, śikhā, throat; behind/above appears multi-faced tri-eyed Rudra (Kṛttivāsas, Nīlakaṇṭha) with colored faces, holding bow and Vāsuki, with Gaurī at his upper side.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, fierce yet auspicious Rudra with four colored faces, tri-netra, tiger-skin garment, serpent and bow, Gaurī nestled at upper flank, priest in foreground touching nyāsa points, deep reds/ochres and strong outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Nīlakaṇṭha Rudra with gold halo and ornaments, embossed bow and serpent, Gaurī beside/above, foreground devotee performing nyāsa, rich jewel tones and gold leaf detailing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic layout: devotee shown touching hṛdaya/śiras/śikhā/kaṇṭha, deity icon with labeled faces/colors implied, soft shading, elegant linework, restrained gold.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined interior shrine scene, devotee performing touch-ritual, Rudra-Gaurī apparition rendered with delicate brushwork, patterned textiles, subtle depiction of multi-faced coloration."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"protective","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: nīlakaṇṭhāya vai śikhāṃ → (no sandhi; phrase); vāsukiñca → vāsukim ca; yasyoparīta- → yasya uparīta-; rudro 'sya → rudraḥ asya; pūrvādyair → pūrva-ādyaiḥ; śvetapītāruṇāsitaiḥ is dvandva in instrumental plural.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 294 (kavaca/nyāsa continuation after viṣaghna mantras)
FAQs
It teaches a Śaiva kavaca/varma application with nyāsa: invoking Śiva’s epithets and placing protective power on specific body-loci (heart, head, śikhā, throat), visualizing the deity’s forms, colors, and weapons as the protective ‘armor’.
Beyond myth, it preserves practical ritual technology—mantra-usage, bodily placements (nyāsa), deity-visualization details (faces, colors, mudrās, weapons), and presiding-deity assignments—showing the Agni Purana as a manual of applied worship alongside its broader subjects.
Recitation and internal placement of the kavaca is presented as a means of purification and protection—shielding the practitioner from fear, poison-like afflictions (symbolic and literal), and obstacles by establishing Rudra-Śakti as an indwelling guardian.