Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 31
Chapter 38 — देवालयनिर्माणफलं
The Merit of Constructing a Temple
तथैव च इति ग, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः सर्वेशस्य इति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः शिवब्रह्मार्कविघ्नेशचण्डीलक्ष्म्यादिकात्मनां देवालयकृतेः पुण्यं प्रतिमाकरणेधिकं
tathaiva ca iti ga, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ sarveśasya iti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ śivabrahmārkavighneśacaṇḍīlakṣmyādikātmanāṃ devālayakṛteḥ puṇyaṃ pratimākaraṇedhikaṃ
శివ, బ్రహ్మ, సూర్య, విఘ్నేశ, చండీ, లక్ష్మీ మొదలైన రూపాలు కలిగిన దేవతల విషయంలో దేవాలయం నిర్మించుటవలన కలిగే పుణ్యముకన్నా, వారి ప్రతిమలను తయారు చేయుటవలన కలిగే పుణ్యం అధికమని చెప్పబడింది.
Lord Agni (in dialogue with the sage Vasiṣṭha, standard frame of the Agni Purāṇa)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Vastu","practical_application":"Guidance for religious patronage priorities: alongside temple construction, commissioning properly made icons (pratimā) of major deities is taught as yielding even greater merit; supports organized icon-making workshops and consecration programs.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Devālaya-kṛti vs Pratimā-karaṇa Puṇya (comparative merit)","lookup_keywords":["devālaya-kṛti","pratimā-karaṇa","puṇya-adhika","Śiva-Brahmā-Sūrya-Gaṇeśa","Caṇḍī-Lakṣmī"],"quick_summary":"For deities such as Śiva, Brahmā, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Caṇḍī, and Lakṣmī, the merit of fashioning their icons is stated to exceed the merit of merely building their temples."}
Concept: Sacred presence is most effectively mediated through properly made icons; hence pratimā-karaṇa is a superior dharmic gift/work compared to construction alone.
Application: When sponsoring religious works, allocate resources to qualified sculptors and correct iconographic standards, not only to buildings; ensure icons are made and installed per śāstra.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-Śilpa & Pratimā-Lakṣaṇa (Temple construction and icon-making)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sculptor’s workshop and a temple site juxtaposed: artisans carving icons of Śiva, Brahmā, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Caṇḍī, and Lakṣmī; patrons offering support; the finished mūrtis prepared for installation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: a śilpin carving stone/wood icons of multiple deities with stylized features; beside it a simple temple outline; emphasis on the radiant completed pratimās; traditional tools and measuring cords depicted.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: finished icons of the listed deities displayed with gold ornamentation; a patron presenting offerings; background shows a temple façade; gold work highlights the pratimās as the spiritual focal point.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional workshop scene—measuring tāla-māna on a half-finished Gaṇeśa and Lakṣmī icon; reference grid lines; calm palette; a small inset of a temple to show comparison of merits.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed atelier with sculptors, chisels, and patrons; multiple deity icons in various stages; architectural drawing scrolls; refined interior setting with careful attention to craft."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shree","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथा + एव → तथैव; सर्व + ईशस्य → सर्वेशस्य; देव + आलय → देवालय; प्रतिमा + करण + अधिकम् → प्रतिमाकरणेधिकं (करणात् अधिकम्—पाठानुसारं विग्रहः; संधि-लेखनात् 'करणेधिकम्' दृश्यते). Verse contains critical apparatus markers (ga/kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ) treated as editorial indeclinables/nouns.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Pratimā-lakṣaṇa and iconography chapters (Śiva, Devī, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Lakṣmī forms); Agni Purana: Vāstu chapters on devālaya construction and consecration rites
FAQs
It states a Vāstu–Śilpa principle of ritual merit: crafting consecratable deity icons (pratimā-karaṇa) for deities like Śiva, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Caṇḍī, and Lakṣmī yields greater puṇya than temple construction alone.
It exemplifies the text’s coverage of applied sacred sciences—Vāstu (architecture) and Śilpa (icon-making)—by ranking religious outcomes (puṇya) tied to concrete works like devālaya-nirmāṇa and pratimā-nirmāṇa.
The verse teaches that enabling direct worship through properly made images is karmically weightier, hence producing superior merit compared to constructing the temple structure without emphasizing icon installation.