Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 19
Chapter 63 — सुदर्शनचक्रादिप्रतिष्ठाकथनं
Procedure for Consecrating the Sudarśana Discus and Other Divine Emblems
द्विजाय पुस्तकं दत्वा फलस्यान्तो न विद्यते त्रीण्याहुरतिदानानि गावः पृथ्वीं सरस्वती
dvijāya pustakaṃ datvā phalasyānto na vidyate trīṇyāhuratidānāni gāvaḥ pṛthvīṃ sarasvatī
เมื่อถวายคัมภีร์แก่ทวิชะ ผลแห่งทานนั้นย่อมไม่มีที่สุด เขากล่าวว่าทานอันยิ่งใหญ่มีสามประการ คือ โค แผ่นดิน และสรัสวตี คือความรู้ศักดิ์สิทธิ์
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Ethics of charity emphasizing book-gift (vidyā-dāna) as inexhaustible merit, and ranking mahādānas: cows, land, and Sarasvatī/learning.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Ati-dāna / Mahā-dāna: Cows, Land, and Sarasvatī (Learning)","lookup_keywords":["pustaka-dāna","vidyā-dāna","ati-dāna","go-dāna","bhū-dāna"],"quick_summary":"Gifting a sacred book to a qualified brāhmaṇa yields endless fruit; among supreme gifts, tradition counts cows, land, and Sarasvatī—i.e., the gift/support of learning."}
Concept: Vidyā is a perpetuating gift: unlike consumables, knowledge multiplies through transmission; hence vidyā-dāna is praised as inexhaustible.
Application: Support education materially—donate texts, sponsor teaching, preserve manuscripts—alongside classic mahādānas like cows and land.
Khanda Section: Dāna-Dharma (Charity and Gifts)
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A donor respectfully offers a wrapped manuscript to a learned brāhmaṇa; nearby are symbolic representations of the three great gifts—cow, land deed/soil, and Sarasvatī as learning.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, donor presenting manuscript to seated brāhmaṇa, cow standing calmly, a small mound of earth/land symbol, Sarasvatī motif in background, flat stylized forms and warm tones","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, manuscript gift scene with gold-embossed borders, cow adorned, symbolic land platter with soil, Sarasvatī iconography subtly behind, rich gold work emphasizing auspiciousness","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic tableau: donor, recipient brāhmaṇa, labeled icons for go-dāna, bhū-dāna, vidyā-dāna; delicate lines and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, patron gifting a manuscript in a scholarly courtyard, cow tethered nearby, attendants holding a land grant scroll, refined naturalistic faces and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Dhanyasi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: phalasyānto = phalasya + antaḥ; trīṇyāhuḥ = trīṇi + āhuḥ; atidānāni = ati + dānāni.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 63 (dāna-dharma around books and recitation)
FAQs
It teaches dāna-vidhi in dharma: gifting a book (pustaka-dāna), and it classifies the highest forms of charity as cow-gift, land-gift, and gift of learning (Sarasvatī).
Alongside ritual and doctrinal topics, the Agni Purana also codifies practical social-religious ethics—here, a ranked typology of gifts and their karmic outcomes, linking economy (land, cattle) and education (texts/learning).
It asserts that donating a book yields inexhaustible merit, and that cows, land, and sacred learning are ‘supreme gifts’ because they sustain life, livelihood, and dharma through knowledge.