Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 9
The Six Limbs (Ṣaḍaṅga) of the Aghora-Astra (अघोरास्त्राणि षडङ्गानि)
अपिलजटाभारभास्वर विद्रावण त्रैलोक्यडामर दर भ्रम आकट्ट तोटय मोटय दह पच एवं सिद्धिरुद्रो ज्ञापयति यदि ग्रहोपगतः स्वर्गलोकं देवलोकं वा आरामविहाराचलं तथापि तमावर्तयिष्यामि वलिं गृह्ण ददामि ते स्वहेति क्षेत्रपालबलिं दत्वा ग्रहो न्यासाध्रदं व्रजेत् शत्रवो नाशमायान्ति रणे वैरगणक्षयः
apilajaṭābhārabhāsvara vidrāvaṇa trailokyaḍāmara dara bhrama ākaṭṭa toṭaya moṭaya daha paca evaṃ siddhirudro jñāpayati yadi grahopagataḥ svargalokaṃ devalokaṃ vā ārāmavihārācalaṃ tathāpi tamāvartayiṣyāmi valiṃ gṛhṇa dadāmi te svaheti kṣetrapālabaliṃ datvā graho nyāsādhradaṃ vrajet śatravo nāśamāyānti raṇe vairagaṇakṣayaḥ
“ਜਟਾਭਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਦਿਪਤ, ਭਜਾਉਣ ਵਾਲੇ! ਤ੍ਰੈਲੋਕ੍ਯ ਡਾਮਰ! ਡਰ, ਭ੍ਰਮ—ਆਕੱਟ! ਤੋਟਯ! ਮੋਟਯ! ਦਹ! ਪਚ!”—ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਰੁਦ੍ਰ ਇਸ ਮੰਤ੍ਰ ਦੀ ਸਿੱਧੀ ਦੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ: ਜੇ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਸਵਰਗਲੋਕ, ਦੇਵਲੋਕ, ਜਾਂ ਬਾਗ-ਬਗੀਚੇ, ਵਿਹਾਰ-ਸਥਾਨ ਜਾਂ ਪਹਾੜ ਤੇ ਵੀ ਚਲਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੋਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਵੀ ਮੈਂ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਵਾਪਸ ਮੋੜ ਲਿਆਵਾਂਗਾ। “ਬਲੀ ਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਕਰ; ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ—ਸਵਾਹਾ!” ਖੇਤਰਪਾਲ ਨੂੰ ਬਲੀ ਦੇ ਕੇ, ਜਿੱਥੇ ਨਿਆਸ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ ਉੱਥੋਂ ਗ੍ਰਹਿ ਚਲਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਸ਼ਤਰੂ ਨਾਸ ਨੂੰ ਪਹੁੰਚਦੇ ਹਨ; ਯੁੱਧ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੈਰੀ ਦਲ ਦਾ ਖ਼ਾਤਮਾ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha; Rudra is cited as the authority for the mantra’s siddhi)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Bhūta-graha śānti and kṣetrapāla-bali: forceful expulsion/recall mantra with command verbs, followed by offering bali to the guardian; used to remove possession and secure victory by neutralizing hostile forces.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Graha-Uccāṭana with Rudra-Ḍāmara Mantra and Kṣetrapāla-Bali after Nyāsa","lookup_keywords":["graha-śānti","uccāṭana","ḍāmara","kṣetrapāla-bali","nyāsa"],"quick_summary":"Provides a fierce Rudra/Ḍāmara command-mantra to drive out and even recall a graha from any realm, then prescribes bali to Kṣetrapāla after nyāsa so the affliction departs and enemies are destroyed."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora / Imperative barrage (ājñā-krama)
Concept: Ritual speech (mantra) plus embodied installation (nyāsa) and reciprocal offering (bali) establishes authority over disruptive entities and restores order.
Application: A complete exorcistic-protective protocol: install nyāsa, issue uccāṭana commands, then satisfy the guardian with bali to seal the space and remove the graha.
Khanda Section: Mantra-tantra / Raksha-kalpa (Protective rites, bhuta-graha shanti, kshetrapala-bali)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Type: Cosmic realms / landscape loci
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A blazing Rudra with matted locks is invoked through fierce command-syllables; a possessed/afflicted figure is shown being driven out as the practitioner performs nyāsa and offers bali at a kṣetrapāla shrine, leading to enemies’ defeat in battle imagery.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: towering ugra Rudra with jaṭā and fiery aura, bold red-black palette; below, priest performing nyāsa gestures, bali offering at a kṣetrapāla stone, a dark graha-form fleeing; side vignette of battlefield where foes collapse.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Rudra with gold halo and blazing ornaments, embossed flames; foreground kṣetrapāla altar with bali plates, priest with ritual implements; background shows enemies routed, rich gold work and saturated colors.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clear instructional composition—panel 1 nyāsa on body points, panel 2 mantra recitation with imperatives written, panel 3 bali to kṣetrapāla, panel 4 graha departing; fine lines, soft shading, labeled steps.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: dramatic exorcism scene in a garden pavilion and nearby hill (ārāma/acala), a dark spirit being ‘dragged back’, priest offering bali at a guardian niche; distant battle scene with defeated factions, intricate borders and calligraphy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"fast","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ग्रहोपगतः = ग्रहः + उपगतः; तथापि = तथा + अपि; तमावर्तयिष्यामि = तम् + आवर्तयिष्यामि; स्वहेति = स्वहा + इति; दन्त/मन्त्र-आज्ञापदानि (भ्रम, तोटय, मोटय, दह, पच, गृह्ण) लोट्-रूपेण ग्रहणम्; ‘ध्रदम्’ पाठः अस्पष्टः (lexeme uncertain).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 322 (rakṣā-kalpa: nyāsa, bali, graha-śānti, kṣetrapāla rites; battle-protection outcomes)
FAQs
A coercive protective mantra (rakṣā-mantra) combined with nyāsa and a Kṣetrapāla-bali offering to force a graha (seizing spirit) to return and depart from the ritual locus.
It preserves a specialized ritual technology—tantric-style imperatives, nyāsa procedure, and site-guardian propitiation—showing the text’s coverage beyond mythology into applied rites for protection, exorcism, and battlefield security.
By propitiating the Kṣetrapāla and removing harmful graha-influences through mantra and offering, the practitioner restores ritual purity and protective order (rakṣā), which is presented as yielding safety and the defeat of hostile forces.