Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 7
Mantras for Worship Beginning with the Five-Syllabled
Mantra) — Concluding Colophon (Chapter 304 end
विष्णुं महोदधौ विद्याद्गङ्गासागरसङ्गमे वनमालञ्च किष्किन्ध्यां देवं रैवतकं विदुः
viṣṇuṃ mahodadhau vidyādgaṅgāsāgarasaṅgame vanamālañca kiṣkindhyāṃ devaṃ raivatakaṃ viduḥ
महोदधौ गङ्गासागर-सङ्गमे विष्णुं विद्याद्; किष्किन्ध्यां वनमालां, तत्र देवो रैवतक इति विदुः।
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purāṇa’s didactic narration)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Samanya","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Pilgrimage contemplation at oceanic confluences and mythic landscapes: treat the sea and river-meeting as Vishnu’s presence; use place-based dhyāna to sacralize bathing and offerings.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Vishnu at the Ocean and Gaṅgā-Sāgara; Vanamālā at Kiṣkindhā; Raivataka as Presiding Deity","lookup_keywords":["Ganga-sagara","Mahodadhi","Kishkindha","Vanamala","Raivataka"],"quick_summary":"Identifies Vishnu’s presence at the great ocean and at Gaṅgā’s meeting with the sea, and associates Kiṣkindhā with Vanamālā; notes the presiding deity known as Raivataka—guiding localized worship."}
Concept: Divinity is recognized through place (kshetra) and symbol (garland/ocean), training perception to see Hari pervading the world.
Application: At confluences perform snāna and tarpana with Vishnu-dhyāna; in Kiṣkindhā remember Vanamālā (Hari adorned with forest garlands) during circumambulation and offerings.
Khanda Section: Tirtha-Mahatmya / Kshetra-Nirdesha (Sacred Geography and Pilgrimage Identifications)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dramatic seashore confluence where the Gaṅgā meets the ocean, pilgrims bathing and offering water; Vishnu’s presence suggested as a luminous figure over the waves; a separate vignette of Kiṣkindhā’s rocky hills with a garlanded Vishnu (Vanamālā) and the name Raivataka associated with the locale.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized blue-green ocean with white wave patterns; Gaṅgā as a goddess-river merging into sea; Vishnu appearing above waters; Kiṣkindhā rocky landscape in earthy tones with Vanamālā Vishnu heavily garlanded; ornate borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Vishnu with gold halo standing over a stylized confluence; gold-embossed waves and jewelry; side panel of Kiṣkindhā with Vanamālā garland emphasized using layered gold and bright florals.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clear, diagram-like confluence scene with pilgrims and priests; subtle divine apparition of Vishnu; Kiṣkindhā vignette with labeled Raivataka and Vanamālā; fine lines and gentle colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed shoreline with boats, pilgrims, and priests; realistic wave textures; distant horizon; Kiṣkindhā rendered as rugged hills with monkeys/forest hints; Vishnu as a delicate luminous figure in the sky."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"epic","suggested_raga":"Malkauns","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विद्याद्गङ्गा... = विद्यात् + गङ्गा...; वनमालञ्च = वनमालाम् + च
Related Themes: Agni Purana 304 (kshetra identifications around rivers, oceans, and regions)
FAQs
It teaches kṣetra-nirdeśa: how to ritually ‘recognize’ (vidyāt) specific divine presences—Viṣṇu, Vanamālā, and Raivataka—at designated pilgrimage locations, guiding place-based worship and tirtha practice.
By cataloging sacred geography—linking deities to precise locales like Gaṅgā-sāgara and Kiṣkindhā—it functions like a pilgrimage gazetteer, one of the Agni Purāṇa’s hallmark encyclopedic modes alongside ritual, polity, and other disciplines.
Place-specific remembrance and worship of the presiding deity at renowned tirthas is traditionally understood to intensify merit (puṇya) and purification, because the site and the deity’s presence are treated as mutually reinforcing supports for devotion.