Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 5
Chapter 308 — Worship of Tvaritā (त्वरितापूजा)
त्रिनेत्रा श्यामला देवी वनमालाविभूषणा विप्राहिकण्राभरणा चत्रकेयूरभूषणा
trinetrā śyāmalā devī vanamālāvibhūṣaṇā viprāhikaṇrābharaṇā catrakeyūrabhūṣaṇā
தேவி மூன்று கண்களுடையவள், கருநிறத் தோற்றமுடையவள்; வனமாலையால் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்டவள். அவளது கழுத்தில் அழகிய மாலை, கைகளில் வளையல்கள் மற்றும் புஜங்களில் கேயூரங்கள் அணிந்தவள்.
Lord Agni (narrating the dhyāna/description to the inquirer, traditionally Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Stotra","practical_application":"Dhyāna-śloka based visualization for pūjā; guides artists and sādhakas in selecting complexion, eyes, garlands, and ornaments for the Devī’s form.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Devī-dhyāna: Trinetra Śyāmalā with Vanamālā and Ornaments","lookup_keywords":["trinetra","śyāmalā","vanamālā","keyūra","hāra"],"quick_summary":"Use this iconographic description as the mental image (dhyāna) before mantra-japa and pūjā. It specifies the Devī’s three eyes, dark hue, forest-garland, and key ornaments."}
Alamkara Type: Anuprāsa (soft alliteration in ornament-listing)
Concept: Rūpa-dhyāna (form-meditation) as an upāya for mantra-siddhi and devotional steadiness.
Application: Before pūjā, fix the Devī’s form with these markers (eyes, hue, garlands, ornaments) to stabilize visualization.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Devi-Dhyana (Iconography and meditation on the Goddess)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A three-eyed dark-hued Goddess stands or sits serenely, wearing a forest-garland, a bright necklace at the neck, bracelets and armlets gleaming; the focus is on her iconographic ornaments and calm gaze.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Devī with trinetra, śyāma complexion, vanamālā of green leaves and flowers, ornate hāra, keyūra and kaṅkaṇa, flat warm background, bold outlines, sacred aura","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Devī trinetra with dark hue, heavy gold-work jewelry for hāra, keyūra, bracelets, vanamālā rendered with embossed gold, rich red backdrop, halo and arch","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, Devī with three eyes and dark complexion, delicate vanamālā, detailed ornaments, soft shading, minimal background emphasizing iconographic clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, three-eyed dark-hued Goddess in jeweled attire, forest-garland, intricate textile patterns, fine jewelry detailing, subdued landscape backdrop, precise brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Compounds treated as samāsa-padas: त्रिनेत्रा = त्रि+नेत्रा; वनमालाविभूषणा = वन-माला-विभूषणा; विप्राहिकण्राभरणा parsed as विप्र-अहि-कण्ठ-आभरणा; चत्रकेयूरभूषणा = चत्र-केयूर-भूषणा.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 308 (Devi-dhyāna and pūjā-vidhi context)
FAQs
It provides dhyāna-lakṣaṇa (meditational iconography): the worshipper visualizes the Goddess as three-eyed, dark-hued, and ornamented (vanamālā, necklace, bracelets, armlets) as part of pūjā and mantra-sādhana.
Beyond myth, the Agni Purana functions as a ritual manual: it preserves practical deity-visualization details (mūrti/dhyāna features and ornaments) used across temple worship, household pūjā, and Tantra-influenced sādhana traditions.
Accurate dhyāna is taught as a means to steady the mind, invoke the deity’s presence in worship, and gain puṇya through disciplined devotion and correct ritual contemplation.