Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 43
Bala-graha-hara Bāla-tantram (बालग्रहहर बालतन्त्रम्) — Pediatric protection and graha-affliction management
वैवर्ण्यमिति ठ भागकैर् इति ख पौलिकापूपदध्यन्नैः पञ्चरात्रं बलिं हरेत् निम्बधूपकुष्ठलेप एकादशमके ग्रही
vaivarṇyamiti ṭha bhāgakair iti kha paulikāpūpadadhyannaiḥ pañcarātraṃ baliṃ haret nimbadhūpakuṣṭhalepa ekādaśamake grahī
‘వైవర్ణ్య’ అనే వ్యాధిలో (ఠ-ఖ భేదాల ప్రకారం) పౌలికా/బియ్యపు కేక్ (పూపం), పెరుగు, అన్నం వీటితో ఐదు రాత్రులు బలి సమర్పించాలి. పదకొండవదిలో గ్రహపీడను వేపధూపం మరియు కుష్ఠ (కోస్తస్) లేపంతో శమింప చేయాలి.
Lord Agni (in dialogue tradition of the Agni Purana, instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Graha-roga/affliction management combining bali for five nights and topical/olfactory remedies (neem fumigation, kuṣṭha paste) for discoloration and an eleventh graha-type.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Vaivarṇya & grahī-śānti: pañcarātra bali; nimbadhūpa and kuṣṭha-lepa","lookup_keywords":["vaivarṇya","graha-roga","pañcarātra bali","nimbadhūpa","kuṣṭha lepa"],"quick_summary":"For discoloration and graha-affliction, prescribes a five-night bali with rice-cakes/curd/rice, and specific remedies: neem-incense fumigation and costus paste application—linking ritual appeasement with practical therapeutics."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: Hybrid therapy: daiva (bali/śānti) plus yukti (herbal fumigation and topical paste) for conditions framed as graha-affliction.
Application: Follow a timed regimen (five nights) and combine environmental purification (dhūpa) with direct treatment (lepa) to address both seen and unseen causality models.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda (Graha-roga / Baligraha-śānti and remedial rites)
Primary Rasa: Śānta
Secondary Rasa: Bhayānaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Nightly bali ritual for five nights with pūpa, curd, and rice; a healer performs neem fumigation as smoke wafts around the patient; costus paste is applied to discolored skin to counter a graha-affliction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, nocturnal ritual scene with oil lamps, bali offerings on leaf plates, thick neem incense smoke curling, healer applying pale paste to discolored patches, protective motifs and calm faces","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold-lit lamps and vessels, stylized patient with visible discoloration, priest/healer holding dhūpa, ornate borders, emphasis on ritual purity and medicinal paste bowl","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear procedural sequence: (1) five-night bali setup, (2) nimbadhūpa fumigation, (3) kuṣṭha-lepa application; fine linework and labeled implements","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate indoor scene with detailed incense burner, bowls of paste, attendants presenting offerings, physician applying lepa to skin, night lamps and textiles richly rendered"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: भागकैर् = भागकैः; पौलिकापूपदध्यन्नैः: सूची-समास/समाहारः, तृतीया बहुवचन ‘अन्नैः’ द्वारा समस्त-सम्बन्धः; निम्बधूपकुष्ठलेपः: तत्पुरुष-सदृशः समाहारः (निम्ब-धूप-कुष्ठ-लेप).
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa graha-śānti and bali-vidhi materials in/around ch. 298; Agni Purāṇa Ayurveda sections on lepa/dhūpa
FAQs
It prescribes a combined remedial protocol: a five-night bali offering with specific foods (pūpa, curd, cooked rice) and, for a particular (eleventh) graha-affliction, therapeutic fumigation with neem plus a topical costus paste.
It blends ritual technology (bali offerings over a defined observance period) with applied Ayurvedic materia medica (neem fumigation and kuṣṭha paste), showing how the text integrates religion, healing, and practical remediation.
By propitiating the graha through bali and purifying through dhūpa and lepa, the rite aims to pacify afflictive influences and restore bodily/ritual purity, thereby reducing suffering attributed to harmful forces and past karmic disturbances.