Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 6
Chapter 100 — द्वारप्रतिष्ठाकथनम्
Dvāra-pratiṣṭhā-kathana: Procedure for Door Consecration
द्वारमुत्तरतः किञ्चिदाश्रितं सन्निवेशयेत् आत्मतत्त्वमधो न्यस्य विद्यातत्त्वञ्च शाखयोः
dvāramuttarataḥ kiñcidāśritaṃ sanniveśayet ātmatattvamadho nyasya vidyātattvañca śākhayoḥ
A porta deve ser disposta com leve inclinação para o lado norte. Tendo colocado abaixo o ātma-tattva, o princípio do Si, deve-se colocar o vidyā-tattva, o princípio do Conhecimento, sobre os dois membros laterais (as “ramas” flanqueadoras).
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s vāstu/ritual-technical section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vastu","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Architectural layout guidance: orienting/setting the doorway with a slight northern bias and performing symbolic tattva-nyāsa on structural members to sacralize the built space.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Uttara-āśrita Dvāra-sanniveśa and Tattva-nyāsa (Ātma below, Vidyā on flanks)","lookup_keywords":["dvāra-uttara","sanniveśa","tattva-nyāsa","ātma-tattva","vidyā-tattva"],"quick_summary":"Place the doorway slightly toward the north and consecrate the structure by assigning ātma-tattva to the base and vidyā-tattva to the two side members, integrating orientation with metaphysical symbolism."}
Concept: Built form mirrors inner metaphysics: the base as ātman-foundation and the flanks as vidyā-supports; orientation becomes a carrier of meaning.
Application: In temple/maṇḍapa design, align entrances with prescribed directional bias and incorporate consecratory nyāsa to encode doctrinal symbolism into architecture.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-Śāstra (Temple/Maṇḍapa Layout and Symbolic Installation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A temple/maṇḍapa plan with the doorway drawn slightly toward the north; a priest marking the base with ‘ātma-tattva’ and the two door-jambs with ‘vidyā-tattva’ using sandal paste/akṣata.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, schematic yet ornate doorway with northern arrow, priest applying marks on threshold and jambs, stylized tattva symbols, flat colors, strong outlines, sacred architectural ambiance","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted doorway frame, priest placing sacred marks on base and flanks, decorative compass/dik symbols, rich temple interior, luminous consecration mood","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional architectural diagram blended with scene: clear north indicator, doorway offset, labels for ātma-tattva and vidyā-tattva, soft colors, precise lines","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, architect and priest examining a drawn plan, doorway shown with slight northern inclination, attendants holding measuring cords, fine detail and perspective"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्वारमुत्तरतः = द्वारम् + उत्तरतः; किञ्चिदाश्रितं = किञ्चित् + आश्रितम्; विद्यातत्त्वञ्च = विद्या-तत्त्वम् + च
Related Themes: Agni Purana Vāstu-Śāstra portions on dvāra-lakṣaṇa, dik-nirṇaya, and maṇḍapa-vinyāsa (same khanda context); Agni Purana tantra/nyāsa instructions applied to physical supports (parallel nyāsa logic)
FAQs
It gives a vāstu rule for positioning the entrance slightly toward the north and prescribes a symbolic tattva-placement (nyāsa): ātma-tattva below and vidyā-tattva on the two flanking members.
It shows the text combining practical architectural layout (door orientation) with ritual-metaphysical mapping (tattva-nyāsa), illustrating how the Agni Purāṇa integrates building science, ritual procedure, and philosophy.
Aligning the entrance and installing tattvas sacralizes the structure: the ‘foundation’ is grounded in ātman, while ‘knowledge’ is ritually established at the sides, aiming to harmonize the space for auspiciousness and purity of use.