Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 5
Chapter 323 — The Six-Limbed Aghora Astras (षडङ्गान्यघोरस्त्राणि)
स्तम्भने धूम्र उच्चाटमारणे कृष्णवर्णकः कर्षणः कपिलो मोहे द्वात्रिंशद्वर्णमर्चयेत्
stambhane dhūmra uccāṭamāraṇe kṛṣṇavarṇakaḥ karṣaṇaḥ kapilo mohe dvātriṃśadvarṇamarcayet
स्तम्भने धूम्रवर्णेन, उच्चाटमारणे कृष्णवर्णेन, कर्षणे कपिलवर्णेन, मोहे तु द्वात्रिंशद्वर्णसमूहैः पूजयेत्।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Selecting the correct deity-color (varna) and worship-mode for specific abhichara and control rites: stambhana, uccatana, marana, karsana, moha.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Varna-bheda (color mapping) for Stambhana–Uccatana–Marana–Karsana–Moha","lookup_keywords":["stambhana-dhumra","uccatana-krishna","marana-krishna","karsana-kapila","moha-dvatrimshad-varna"],"quick_summary":"The verse gives a compact mapping of ritual aims to visualization colors: smoke-grey for immobilization, black for expulsion/destruction, tawny for attraction, and a thirty-two-color scheme for delusion rites."}
Concept: Upaya (means) classification: external form (varna) is treated as a functional parameter in mantra-kalpa to direct intention and outcome.
Application: In ritual manuals, keep a ‘karma-to-visualization’ table so the practitioner does not mix colors/forms across stambhana/uccatana/marana/karsana/moha.
Khanda Section: Isana-kalpa (Tantric/Ritual Mantra Applications)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A chart-like ritual scene showing the same deity/mantra-form in different colors for different rites: dhumra for stambhana, krishna for uccatana/marana, kapila for karsana, and a radiant 32-color spectrum for moha.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, four compartments around a central yantra: smoke-grey deity for stambhana, black fierce form for uccatana/marana, tawny form for karsana, and a many-hued swirling form for moha; bold outlines, temple border motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-embossed central yantra with four surrounding deity panels in dhumra/krishna/kapila and a jewel-like multi-color panel for 32-varna; heavy ornaments, gold halos, rich reds and greens.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with Sanskrit labels for each karma and its varna, fine linework, soft washes, manuscript aesthetic, priest holding mala and showing mudras.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, a scholar-priest presenting an illustrated folio of four colored deity-forms to a patron; delicate palette, precise detailing, calligraphic captions for stambhana/uccatana/marana/karsana/moha."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: uccāṭamāraṇe treated as dvandva compound; dvātriṃśadvarṇam = dvātriṃśat + varṇam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: abhichara-karmas typology (shanti, paushtika, vashya, stambhana, uccatana, marana, mohana) in the same mantra-tantra khanda; Agni Purana: dhyana/varna prescriptions for devatas in kalpa sections
FAQs
It prescribes specific ritual color-assignments (varṇa) to match particular tantric operations (kriyās): dhūmra for stambhana, kṛṣṇa for uccāṭa/māraṇa, kapila for karṣaṇa, and a thirty-two-color scheme for moha—guiding visualization and worship-mode in sādhana.
Beyond myth and devotion, it records applied ritual-technology—categorizing operative rites and their technical parameters (here, varṇa-bheda). This is characteristic of the Agni Purāṇa’s wide scope, preserving procedural details alongside theology.
In the text’s ritual logic, aligning worship with the correct varṇa is a means of ensuring the rite’s intended efficacy; ethically, such kriyās are traditionally treated as powerful and potentially harmful, implying that right intention, restraint, and adherence to dharma are crucial for karmic accountability.