Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 10
Chapter 299 — ग्रहहृन्मन्त्रादिकम्
Grahahṛn-Mantras and Allied Procedures
पृश्नीहिङ्गुवचाचक्रशिरीषदयितम्परम् पाशाङ्कुशधरं देवमक्षमालाकपालिनम्
pṛśnīhiṅguvacācakraśirīṣadayitamparam pāśāṅkuśadharaṃ devamakṣamālākapālinam
పృశ్నీ, హింగు, వచా, చక్ర, శిరీషములను పరమప్రియంగా భావించే ఆ దేవుని ధ్యానించాలి; ఆయన పాశం, అంకుశం ధరించి, జపమాల మరియు కపాలపాత్రను కూడా కలిగి ఉంటాడు.
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Dhyāna/nyāsa support: specifying deity attributes (pāśa, aṅkuśa, akṣamālā, kapāla) and associated dravyas (pṛśnī, hiṅgu, vacā, cakra, śirīṣa) for ritual use, offerings, or protective fumigation/uncting depending on prayoga.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Dhyāna-lakṣaṇa: Deity with Pāśa–Aṅkuśa, Akṣamālā and Kapāla; Favored Dravyas","lookup_keywords":["pāśa","aṅkuśa","akṣamālā","kapāla","hiṅgu-vacā"],"quick_summary":"The verse gives a dhyāna-description of a deity holding noose and goad, rosary and skull-bowl, and notes preferred ritual substances (pṛśnī, hiṅgu, vacā, cakra, śirīṣa) used as offerings/adjuncts in worship."}
Dosha: Vata
Concept: Dhyāna as a technology of worship: precise visualization of attributes and ritual substances aligns the practitioner’s mind with the deity’s śakti and function (control, purification, transformation).
Application: Use the described attributes for mental visualization during nyāsa/japa; employ the listed dravyas as prescribed in the rite (dhūpa, lepa, bali, or upacāra) to stabilize practice.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Devata-dhyana and Mantra-nyasa / Iconography of deities)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A four-armed deity seated in a ritual space, holding pāśa and aṅkuśa, akṣamālā and kapāla; nearby are offerings of aromatic herbs (hiṅgu, vacā) and śirīṣa blossoms, suggesting a tantric pūjā setting.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: four-armed deity with pāśa and aṅkuśa, akṣamālā and kapāla, bold outlines and warm palette; offerings arranged—resinous hiṅgu, vacā roots, śirīṣa flowers—temple-wall symmetry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting: central deity with ornate crown and halo, gold-leaf on ornaments and weapons; akṣamālā rendered with pearls; kapāla with stylized sheen; offering plates with herbs and flowers in foreground.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined facial features, delicate shading; clear depiction of each attribute (noose, goad, rosary, skull-bowl) and labeled offering items; instructional devotional plate.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: intimate shrine interior with priest presenting offerings; deity icon with four arms; meticulous textiles, incense smoke curling from herbal dhūpa; subdued yet luminous palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: देवमक्षमालाकपालिनम् = देवम् + अक्षमालाकपालिनम् (sandhi: m+a). Long initial compound analyzed as multi-member determinative.
Related Themes: Agni Purana pūjā-vidhi and devatā-dhyāna/nyāsa sequences around ch. 299
FAQs
It gives a dhyāna-identification: the deity is to be visualized with specific emblems—noose and goad (pāśa, aṅkuśa) and with rosary and skull-bowl (akṣamālā, kapāla)—along with a stated affinity for certain herbs, which functions as a ritual correspondence in worship/meditative construction.
Alongside theology, it preserves practical liturgical detail: iconographic markers used for correct visualization and worship, and it also embeds materia (plant names) that link ritual practice with traditional herbal knowledge—showing the Purana’s cross-disciplinary cataloging of sādhanā, symbolism, and applied correspondences.
Correct dhyāna with the deity’s defining attributes is taught as a means to steadiness of mind and efficacy of worship; the pāśa–aṅkuśa symbolism indicates restraint and guidance of impulses, supporting purification and focused devotion.