Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 60
Chapter 342: शब्दालङ्काराः
Verbal/Sound-based Ornaments
अन्तिमं परिबध्नीयाद्यावत्तुर्यमिहादिमत् पादात्तुर्याद्यदेवाद्यं नवमात् षोडशादपि
antimaṃ paribadhnīyādyāvatturyamihādimat pādātturyādyadevādyaṃ navamāt ṣoḍaśādapi
ਇੱਥੇ ਪਹਿਲੇ ਤੋਂ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰਕੇ ਚੌਥੇ ਤੱਕ ਆਖ਼ਰੀ (ਭਾਗ/ਵਰਣ) ਨੂੰ ਦ੍ਰਿੜ੍ਹਤਾ ਨਾਲ ਬੰਨ੍ਹ ਕੇ (ਸਥਾਪਿਤ ਕਰਕੇ) ਰੱਖੇ। ਅਤੇ ਪਾਦ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੌਥੇ ਤੋਂ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰਕੇ ‘ਦੇਵਾਦਿ’ ਕ੍ਰਮ ਨੂੰ ਨੌਵੇਂ ਤੋਂ ਸੋਲ੍ਹਵੇਂ ਤੱਕ ਵੀ ਬੰਨ੍ਹ ਕੇ ਸਥਾਪਿਤ ਕਰੇ।
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Mātrikā/nyāsa-bandhana-vidhi: akṣara-krameṇa (1–4) ‘antima’ sthāpanā/bandhanaṃ, punaḥ pāda-turya-ārambhāt ‘deva-ādi’ śreṇīṃ 9–16 paryantaṃ nyasyati—yantra/śarīra-nyāse akṣara-sthāna-niyamaḥ.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Bandhana-nyāsa: antima-turya-paryanta & deva-ādi (9–16) krama","lookup_keywords":["nyāsa","bandhana","mātrikā-krama","deva-ādi","9-16"],"quick_summary":"The instruction prescribes binding/placing a final element up to the fourth unit starting from the first, then performing an additional placement sequence called ‘deva-ādi’ from the ninth through the sixteenth. It reads as a technical nyāsa/bandhana rule for mantra-mātrikā ordering."}
Concept: śabda-śakti-niyamanam—akṣara-krameṇa nyāsaḥ bandhanaṃ ca mantra-siddhyai
Application: Upāsakaḥ yantra-patre vā aṅga-nyāse vā akṣarāṇi niyata-krameṇa nyaset; krama-bhraṃśe siddhi-vighna iti tantra-paddhatiṣu manyate.
Khanda Section: Tantra-Mantra & Yantra-Vidhi (Nyasa, Bandhana, Matrika-krama)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A yantra or body-nyāsa diagram with numbered akṣaras: 1–4 marked as a binding sequence ending in ‘antima’, and a second arc labeled ‘deva-ādi’ spanning 9–16; practitioner performs nyāsa with right hand mudrā.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, stylized yantra on a red-ochre ground, numbers 1–4 and 9–16 indicated with traditional glyph-like marks, sādhaka performing nyāsa mudrā, temple ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf yantra lines, sādhaka seated before a yantra-patra, highlighted sequences 1–4 and 9–16, rich reds/greens, sacred lamp glow.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear technical yantra diagram with numbered akṣara placements, sādhaka demonstrating hand mudrā, fine linework and soft shading for instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed ritual scene with a geometric yantra sheet, precise numbering 1–4 and 9–16, attendant holding manuscript, subdued palette with intricate borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Raga Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: परिबध्नीयाद्यावत् → परिबध्नीयात् यावत्; तुर्यमिहादिमत् → तुर्यम् इह आदि-मत्; पादात्तुर्याद्य → पादात् तुर्यादि; तुर्याद्यदेवाद्यं → तुर्यादि यत् एव आद्यम्; नवमात् षोडशादपि → नवमात् षोडशात् अपि.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 342 (chandas-krama—akṣara-gaṇanā terminology overlap); Agni Purana tantra/mantra prakaraṇas (nyāsa, yantra, mātrikā—recension-dependent chapters)
FAQs
It gives a procedural rule for bandhana/nyāsa: how to ‘bind’ (fix/place) the final element and how to map placements by counting positions (1–4, then 9–16) across pāda-divisions.
Beyond mythology, the text preserves technical tantric praxis—numbered placement schemes for syllabic energies (mātrikā), reflecting a manual-like transmission of ritual technology.
Correct nyāsa/bandhana is held to stabilize mantra-śakti, prevent ritual faults (doṣa), and make the practice spiritually efficacious for protection and purification.