Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 42
Chapter 38 — देवालयनिर्माणफलं
The Merit of Constructing a Temple
अर्चयन्ति न ते ग्राह्या नराः कृष्णालये गताः उपलेपनकर्तारः सम्मार्जनपराश् च ये
arcayanti na te grāhyā narāḥ kṛṣṇālaye gatāḥ upalepanakartāraḥ sammārjanaparāś ca ye
కృష్ణాలయానికి వెళ్లి పూజార్చనలో నిమగ్నమైన పురుషులను అదుపులోకి తీసుకోరాదు; ఆలయానికి లేపనం/లిప్పడం చేసే వారు మరియు ఊడ్చి శుభ్రం చేసే పనిలో నిబద్ధులైన వారూ గ్రాహ్యులు కారు।
Lord Agni (in dialogue to Vasiṣṭha, as the Agni Purāṇa’s primary narrator)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Temple administration and civic law: establish protected status and non-interference for persons engaged in essential temple-sevā (cleaning, plastering) during worship times.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Non-detention of temple sevakas during worship (Kṛṣṇālaya)","lookup_keywords":["kṛṣṇālaya","sevaka","sammārjana","upalepana","anāgrahya"],"quick_summary":"Persons actively engaged in temple worship-service—especially plastering/daubing and sweeping/cleaning—are not to be detained or taken into custody while on duty in the Kṛṣṇa/Vişṇu temple."}
Concept: Sevā and śauca in a Viṣṇu temple are dharmically protected acts; sacred duty overrides ordinary coercive claims during performance.
Application: Codify temple-worker protections, schedule civic enforcement to avoid interrupting worship-service, and treat cleaning/maintenance as meritorious ritual service.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Temple worship and service etiquette)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Inside a Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa temple: sevakas plastering the sanctum wall with fresh clay-lime and others sweeping the mandapa floor while worship proceeds; a local official stands aside, refraining from arrest or interruption.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, flat bold colors, Kṛṣṇa/Vişṇu shrine interior, sevakas in traditional attire sweeping and applying wall plaster, oil lamps, calm ritual atmosphere, strict profile faces, ornamental borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on temple lamps and arch, Kṛṣṇa/Vişṇu sanctum in the background, sevakas sweeping and plastering, rich reds and greens, devotional serenity, ornate pillars.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, delicate linework, instructional clarity: two groups labeled by action (sammārjana and upalepana), temple corridor perspective, soft palette, minimal crowd, emphasis on etiquette of non-interference.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed architectural interior, attendants sweeping and plastering, an official with folded hands stepping back, fine textiles, precise floor patterns, subdued devotional mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shree","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kṛṣṇālaye = kṛṣṇa + ālaye (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); sammārjanaparāś ca = sammārjana-parāḥ + ca (visarga sandhi).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 38 (pūjā-vidhi: sevā, śauca, mandira-maryādā)
FAQs
It lays down a temple-protocol rule: worshippers and those performing essential temple-sevā (plastering/daubing and sweeping/cleaning) in a Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu temple should not be detained or interfered with while engaged in that sacred service.
Beyond theology, it records practical governance-and-ritual interface: how society should treat temple personnel and worship activities, preserving uninterrupted pūjā and maintenance—one of the many applied dharma guidelines that make the Agni Purāṇa encyclopedic.
It elevates temple maintenance (cleaning and plastering) to protected sacred duty, implying that supporting uninterrupted worship and keeping the deity’s abode pure is meritorious and should not be obstructed.