Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 14
Dānādi-māhātmya — The Glory of Gifts, Manuscript-Donation, and Purāṇic Transmission
माघ्यान्दद्याद्वराहस्य चरितं ब्रह्मलोकभाक् यत्रग्निलिङ्गमध्यस्थो धर्मान्प्राह महेश्वरः
māghyāndadyādvarāhasya caritaṃ brahmalokabhāk yatragniliṅgamadhyastho dharmānprāha maheśvaraḥ
माघमासे वराहचरितं दानं दद्यादिति; तेन ब्रह्मलोकभाग्भवति—यत्राग्निलिङ्गमध्यस्थो महेश्वरो धर्मान् प्राह।
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s discourse frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Māgha-māsa dāna: sacred-text donation/recitation of Varāha-carita as a vrata-linked gift to accrue punya and orient conduct toward dharma.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Māgha-dāna of Varāha-carita and Agni-liṅga Dharmopadeśa","lookup_keywords":["Māgha-dāna","Varāha-carita","Agni-liṅga","Brahmaloka","Dharma-upadeśa"],"quick_summary":"Donate (or sponsor recitation/copying) of the Varāha narrative in Māgha; the phala is Brahmaloka. The narrative is framed as Maheśvara teaching dharma from within the Agni-liṅga."}
Concept: Dāna and śravaṇa/paṭhana of purāṇic dharma-kathā as a means to loka-prāpti and dharma-saṃskāra.
Application: Observe Māgha as a disciplined giving-season; sponsor dharma-kathā and align personal conduct with taught dharma.
Khanda Section: Tirtha-Dana-Mahatmya (Sacred observances, gifts, and pilgrimage merits)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee offers a palm-leaf manuscript of Varāha-carita during Māgha; in a sanctum, a blazing Agni-liṅga reveals Maheśvara within, teaching dharma to sages.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural, warm ochres and reds, Agni-liṅga as a vertical flame-pillar in garbhagṛha, Śiva’s presence subtly within the flame, sages seated in semicircle, manuscript offering in foreground, traditional ornamentation, flat perspective.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Agni-liṅga with embossed gold flame aureole, Śiva implied within radiance, devotee holding manuscript and offering tray, rich textiles, temple arch framing, heavy gold work and gemstones effect.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, instructional tableau: donor presenting Varāha-carita, priest near liṅga, Śiva’s dharma-upadeśa indicated by gesture within luminous pillar, soft colors, detailed temple interior.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly manuscript-donation scene inside a shrine, delicate flame pillar, sages with expressive faces, fine architectural detailing, calligraphic manuscript emphasized, subdued palette with gold highlights."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: māghyān+dadyāt → māghyāndadyāt; dharmān+prāha → dharmānprāha; yatra+agni... → yatrāgniliṅga... (written yatragniliṅga...).
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa: Tīrtha-dāna-māhātmya sections on māsa-dāna; Agni Purāṇa: Liṅga-dāna/vrata-kathā passages; Agni Purāṇa: Varāha-carita/avatāra-kathā catalogues
FAQs
It prescribes a specific Māgha-month dāna: gifting (or sponsoring the gifting/recitation) of the Varāha-carita as a meritorious religious act.
Alongside theology and myth (Varāha-carita), it encodes practical ritual economy—time-specific charity, phala (result) statements, and the sacral framing of dharma-teachings—showing how narrative, worship, and ethics are integrated.
The act is said to yield Brahmaloka-attainment, indicating high ritual merit (puṇya) accrued through timed charity connected to a sanctifying dharma-teaching tradition attributed to Maheśvara within the Agni-liṅga.