Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 16
The Root-Mantra of Tvaritā
Tvaritā-mūla-mantra
विदर्भरिपुनामाथ श्मशानाङ्गारलेखितम् सप्ताहात्साधयेद्देशं ताडयेत् प्रेतभस्मना
vidarbharipunāmātha śmaśānāṅgāralekhitam saptāhātsādhayeddeśaṃ tāḍayet pretabhasmanā
ਫਿਰ ਵਿਦਰਭ ਦੇ ਵੈਰੀ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ਾਨ ਦੇ ਅੰਗਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਲਿਖ ਕੇ, ਸੱਤ ਦਿਨਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਸ ਦੇਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਵਸ਼ ਕਰੇ; ਅਤੇ ਪ੍ਰੇਤ-ਭਸਮ ਨਾਲ ਨਿਸ਼ਾਨੇ (ਜਾਂ ਪੁਤਲੇ) ਨੂੰ ਤਾਡੇ।
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Abhichāra-prayoga for coercion/vaśīkaraṇa: writing the target’s name with śmaśānāṅgāra and using preta-bhasma in a striking rite to subdue a region/person within a fixed time-window (7 days).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śmaśānāṅgāra-lekhana & Preta-bhasma-tāḍana (Vaśīkaraṇa)","lookup_keywords":["abhichara","shmashana-angara","preta-bhasma","vidarbha-ripu","saptaha-sadhana"],"quick_summary":"A coercive rite: inscribe the enemy’s name with cremation charcoal and perform a striking action with corpse-ashes to effect control within seven days; framed as a time-bound sādhana."}
Concept: Mantra-tantra as operative power (kriyā-śakti) applied through liminal substances (śmaśāna materials) and name-inscription.
Application: Operational ritual logic: name (nāma) + medium (aṅgāra) + contact/impact (tāḍana) + fixed duration (saptāha) to produce intended coercive effect.
Khanda Section: Abhichara-Mantra / Tantra-Prayoga (Protective and coercive rites)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cremation-ground rite: a practitioner inscribes an enemy’s name with black charcoal on a ritual surface/effigy, then performs a striking gesture using grey-white ash, counting days of sādhana.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, nocturnal śmaśāna setting with stylized flames and banyan silhouettes, a sādhaka in traditional attire writing a name with black aṅgāra on a yantra/effigy, holding a small ash-bowl, dramatic but flat iconic composition, earthy reds and blacks","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold work, central seated sādhaka before a ritual plank, ornate borders, small stylized cremation-ground elements at sides, emphasis on ritual implements (charcoal stylus, ash vessel), rich reds and greens with gold highlights","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, instructional depiction: close view of writing the name with charcoal on a diagram/effigy, labeled implements, subdued palette, delicate linework, calm didactic layout despite grim setting","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed night scene at cremation ground with attendants, the practitioner writing on paper/cloth with charcoal, ash being applied to an effigy, fine architectural/landscape detailing, muted blues and greys with precise brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"intense","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विदर्भरिपुनामाथ = विदर्भरिपुनाम् + अथ; श्मशानाङ्गारलेखितम् = श्मशान-अङ्गार-लेखितम्; सप्ताहात्साधयेद्देशं = सप्ताहात् + साधयेत् + देशम्; ताडयेत् प्रेतभस्मना = ताडयेत् + प्रेत-भस्मना
Related Themes: Agni Purana 311 (Abhichāra/yantra-netra/mantra-prayoga cluster)
FAQs
It teaches an abhichāra (coercive/subjugation) procedure: inscribing an enemy’s name with cremation-ground charcoal and performing a seven-day sādhana, including striking with preta-ash as a forceful ritual act.
Alongside dharma, polity, medicine, and poetics, the Agni Purana also records specialized ritual technologies (tantric/abhichāra prayogas), showing its scope as a compendium of practical and esoteric disciplines.
The verse reflects a tamasic, coercive ritual orientation using impure/liminal substances (śmaśāna, preta-bhasma), traditionally treated as spiritually risky and requiring strict ritual constraints; it is framed as a means of control rather than purification.