Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 6
Sāma-vidhāna
Procedure of the Sāman Hymns
अभ्युक्ष्य घृतशेषेण मेखलाबन्ध इष्यते स्त्रीणां यासान्तु गर्भाणि पतन्ति भृगुसत्तम तथा रौद्रगणं हुत्वा सर्वान् दोषान् व्यपोहति एतैर् दशगुणैर् होमी ह्य् अष्टादशसु शान्तिषु
abhyukṣya ghṛtaśeṣeṇa mekhalābandha iṣyate strīṇāṃ yāsāntu garbhāṇi patanti bhṛgusattama tathā raudragaṇaṃ hutvā sarvān doṣān vyapohati etair daśaguṇair homī hy aṣṭādaśasu śāntiṣu
మిగిలిన ఘృతంతో అభ్యుక్షణం చేసి మేఖలా-బంధం (రక్షాకటిబంధం) విధించబడింది. ఓ భృగుశ్రేష్ఠా, గర్భస్రావం కలిగే స్త్రీల కోసం రౌద్రగణానికి హవిస్సులు అర్పించాలి; అలా చేస్తే అన్ని దోషాలు తొలగుతాయి. ఈ విధానాలతో అష్టాదశ శాంతుల్లో హోమం దశగుణంగా చేయాలి.
Lord Agni (in instruction to a sage addressed as Bhṛgusattama)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Mantra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Garbha-raksha and doṣa-śamana through homa and protective mekhalā-bandha, especially for recurrent miscarriage; scaling offerings within the standard set of śānti-karmas.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Mekhalā-bandha and Raudra-gaṇa Homa for Garbha-pāta Śānti","lookup_keywords":["mekhalā-bandha","raudra-gaṇa homa","garbha-pāta","śānti-karma","aṣṭādaśa-śānti"],"quick_summary":"After abhiṣeka/sprinkling with remaining ghee, a protective girdle is tied; for women with repeated miscarriage, oblations to the Rudra-host are prescribed to remove faults, performed tenfold within the eighteen śānti rites."}
Concept: Doṣa-śamana through prescribed śānti-karmas; ritual causality (homa/japa/bandha) as protective dharma.
Application: Use standardized śānti sets (aṣṭādaśa) and prescribed multipliers (daśaguṇa) to intensify remedial rites for specific afflictions.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Shanti-karma and Homa Prayoga)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A domestic/ritual fire altar scene: priest sprinkling remaining ghee, tying a protective mekhalā on a woman seeking protection for pregnancy, then offering oblations to a Rudra-host for śānti.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, warm earthy palette, stylized yajña-kuṇḍa with flames, a ṛtvik in white dhoti performing āhuti, protective mekhalā being tied on a seated woman, subtle Rudra-gaṇa presence as shadowy divine attendants, sacred calm atmosphere.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold leaf highlights: central homa-kuṇḍa, priest offering ghee, ornate mekhalā depicted as protective band, Rudra-gaṇa as small gilded divine figures above, rich reds and greens, devotional-pacification theme.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, clean linework: stepwise ritual depiction—sprinkling ghee, mekhalā-bandha, then āhuti sequence—labels implied by gestures, serene household yajña setting.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: intimate courtyard yajña, detailed textiles, priest and attendants, woman receiving protective girdle, smoke rising from fire altar, faint divine Rudra retinue in the sky, documentary realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"protective","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ghṛtaśeṣeṇa → ghṛta-śeṣeṇa; mekhalābandha → mekhalā-bandhaḥ; yāsāntu → yāsām tu; etair → etaiḥ; daśaguṇair → daśa-guṇaiḥ; hy → hi; aṣṭādaśasu śāntiṣu kept as separate padas.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 260 (Śānti-karma, homa-prayoga, rakṣā-vidhi)
FAQs
It prescribes (1) ghee-aspersing followed by mekhalā-bandha (a protective girdle rite), and (2) a specific homa offering to the Raudra-gaṇa as a remedial śānti for women suffering miscarriages, with a tenfold performance rule within the eighteen śāntis.
It demonstrates the Agni Purana’s practical ritual compendium aspect—cataloging applied śānti-karmas, protective rites, and targeted homa remedies for specific life-crises (here, recurrent pregnancy loss), alongside procedural multipliers (daśaguṇa) and classification into a standardized set of eighteen pacifications.
The verse frames miscarriage and related afflictions as doṣas/inauspicious impediments that can be ritually pacified; offerings to Rudra’s host function as appeasement and purification, aiming at removal of दोष (doṣa) and restoration of auspicious continuity (garbha-siddhi).