Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 43
Chapter 64 — कूपादिप्रतिष्ठाकथनं
The Account of the Consecration of Wells and Other Water-Works
एकाहं स्थापयेत्तोयं तत्पुण्यमयुतायुतं विमाने मोदते स्वर्गे नरकं न स गच्छति
ekāhaṃ sthāpayettoyaṃ tatpuṇyamayutāyutaṃ vimāne modate svarge narakaṃ na sa gacchati
Quem estabelecer (prover) água ainda que por um só dia obtém mérito de incontáveis dezenas de milhares; ele se alegra no céu num vimāna (carro celestial) e não vai ao inferno.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Establish a water-supply (jala-sthāpana)—even for one day—such as a water-stand, pot, trough, or maintained well access; treat it as a high-merit public service.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"One-day jala-sthāpana and its heavenly reward","lookup_keywords":["jala-sthapana","ekaha","punya-phala","svarga-vimana","naraka-nivritti"],"quick_summary":"Providing water even briefly is extolled as generating immense merit, promising heavenly enjoyment and protection from hell—an emphatic incentive for public hydration charity."}
Alamkara Type: Phala-śruti with Atishayokti
Concept: Lokopakāra (public benefit) is spiritually potent; small-duration service can carry vast karmic weight when it relieves suffering.
Application: Adopt micro-vows: sponsor a day of water service during festivals, heatwaves, or pilgrimages; maintain continuity through community rotation.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Dāna & Tīrtha/Ritual Merit Instructions)
Primary Rasa: Adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A water-stand set up for a day: a shaded pavilion with pots and ladles where travelers drink; above, a symbolic celestial vimāna motif indicates the promised reward.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, roadside water pavilion with palm-leaf roof, large earthen pots, travelers and animals drinking, donor figure replenishing water, faint celestial vimāna in upper register, earthy tones and sacred calm.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ornate water pavilion with gold accents on vessels, donor offering water to pilgrims, stylized vimāna in the sky with gold leaf, rich temple-town setting.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional depiction of a one-day water service: shaded stand, covered pots, ladle, queue of travelers, emphasis on cleanliness and replenishment schedule, fine linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed caravan road scene with a water booth, attendants serving water, travelers resting, a small luminous celestial chariot in the sky as allegory, intricate landscape."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्थापयेत्तोयं→स्थापयेत् + तोयम्; तत्पुण्यमयुतायुतं→तत्-पुण्यम् + अयुत-अयुतम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: jala-dana praise within dana-dharma; Agni Purana: phala-śruti style passages promising svarga for public charity
FAQs
It prescribes toya-sthāpana (arranging/providing water, e.g., a water-pot, trough, or water-station) even for one day as a dāna-based ritual act that yields exceptionally high puṇya.
It exemplifies the Purāṇa’s practical dharma-encyclopedia style: alongside theology, it records actionable public-benefit rites (dāna, provisioning water) and their stated karmic results (svarga, vimāna, avoidance of naraka).
The verse frames water-provision as a high-impact merit act: it multiplies puṇya “countlessly,” grants heavenly enjoyment (vimāna in svarga), and is said to prevent descent to naraka.