Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 20
Kūrma-avatāra-varṇana (The Description of the Tortoise Incarnation) — Samudra Manthana and the Reordering of Cosmic Prosperity
स्खलितं तस्य वीर्यं कौ यत्र यत्र हरस्य हि तत्र तत्राभवत् क्षेत्रं लिङ्गानां कनकस्य च
skhalitaṃ tasya vīryaṃ kau yatra yatra harasya hi tatra tatrābhavat kṣetraṃ liṅgānāṃ kanakasya ca
హరుని (శివుని) వీర్యము ఎక్కడ ఎక్కడ స్ఖలించెనో, అక్కడ అక్కడ లింగములకును స్వర్ణమునకును పుణ్యక్షేత్రము ఏర్పడెను.
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Explains the sacralization of geography: sites associated with Śiva’s vīrya become liṅga-kṣetras; supports pilgrimage mapping, temple founding legends, and donation to such kṣetras.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Liṅga-Kṣetra Utpatti from Hara’s Vīrya (and Kanaka)","lookup_keywords":["Hara","virya","kshetra","linga","kanaka"],"quick_summary":"Wherever Śiva’s vīrya is said to have fallen, those places become sacred kṣetras marked by liṅgas and associated prosperity (gold), grounding tīrtha-māhātmya and temple cult."}
Concept: Kṣetra is made potent by divine contact (saṃbandha); worship and dāna at such places are specially efficacious.
Application: Undertake tīrtha-yātrā, liṅga-pūjā, and support temple maintenance/annadāna at recognized kṣetras.
Khanda Section: Shaiva-Kshetra-Mahatmya (Lingodbhava & sacred linga-sites)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Multiple sacred spots across a landscape glow as liṅgas arise where Śiva’s vīrya fell; veins of gold shimmer in the earth, marking sanctified kṣetras.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, panoramic sacred landscape with repeated liṅga shrines, Śiva’s presence implied as cosmic energy, golden earth highlights, temple lamps and devotees","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central grand liṅga with surrounding smaller liṅgas, abundant gold leaf to signify ‘kanaka’, devotees offering bilva leaves, ornate arch framing","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, map-like instructional composition: labeled kṣetras with small liṅga icons, gentle colors, precise detailing of shrines and pathways","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, wide landscape with multiple shrine pavilions, shimmering gold accents in terrain, pilgrims traveling between sites, fine architectural detail"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Shivaranjani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्र तत्राभवत् = तत्र तत्र अभवत्. ‘कौ’ interpreted as interrogative indeclinable ‘where?’ (textual variant).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: liṅga-pūjā/vrata materials; Agni Purana: tīrtha-māhātmya style passages
FAQs
It identifies the puranic basis for recognizing certain locations as linga-kṣetras (Śiva sacred sites): places mythically linked to Śiva’s manifested potency are treated as ritually potent for liṅga worship and pilgrimage.
It contributes to the text’s catalog-like sacred geography (tīrtha/kshetra-mahātmya), integrating mythic etiology with practical religious culture—how pilgrimage sites and worship centers are explained and classified.
By grounding certain places as liṅga-kṣetras, the verse implies heightened merit (puṇya) for worship, vows, and pilgrimage performed there, since the site is seen as charged with Śiva’s creative power.