Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 21
Chapter 63 — सुदर्शनचक्रादिप्रतिष्ठाकथनं
Procedure for Consecrating the Sudarśana Discus and Other Divine Emblems
तावद्वर्षसहस्राणि विष्णुलोके महीयते पञ्चरात्रं पुराणानि भारतानि ददन्नरः कुलैकविंशमुद्धृत्य परे तत्त्वे तु लीयते
tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi viṣṇuloke mahīyate pañcarātraṃ purāṇāni bhāratāni dadannaraḥ kulaikaviṃśamuddhṛtya pare tattve tu līyate
ผู้ใดถวายทานคัมภีร์ปัญจราตระ ปุราณะ และมหาภารตะตลอดห้าคืน ผู้นั้นย่อมได้รับการสรรเสริญในโลกของพระวิษณุเป็นเวลาหลายพันปี; ครั้นยกกู้วงศ์ตระกูลได้ยี่สิบเอ็ดชั่วคนแล้ว ในที่สุดย่อมหลอมรวมสู่สภาวะสูงสุด
Lord Agni (in dialogue with sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Perform śāstra-dāna (gifting Pañcarātra, Purāṇas, and Mahābhārata) as a timed vow-like charity to accrue long heavenly honor and lineage uplift, culminating in liberation-oriented dissolution.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Śāstra-dāna of Pañcarātra, Purāṇas, and Bhārata (Five-night gifting)","lookup_keywords":["pañcarātra-dāna","purāṇa-dāna","bhārata-dāna","viṣṇuloka","ekaviṃśati-kula"],"quick_summary":"Gifting key Vaiṣṇava and itihāsa-purāṇa scriptures over a five-night observance is said to yield prolonged honor in Viṣṇu’s realm, benefit twenty-one generations, and lead toward final merging in the Supreme."}
Concept: Bhakti-inflected dāna as a means to both worldly/posthumous merit and ultimate absorption into para-tattva.
Application: Sponsor dissemination of core Vaiṣṇava and itihāsa-purāṇa texts (teaching, copying, public recitation) as a structured multi-day observance with intention for loka-saṅgraha and inner purification.
Khanda Section: Dāna-dharma (Gifts, charity, and their spiritual merit)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Sacred realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Across five nights, a donor ceremonially offers sets of scriptures—Pañcarātra texts, Purāṇas, and the Mahābhārata—to learned brāhmaṇas/ācāryas; in the background, a visionary glimpse of Viṣṇuloka and ancestors being uplifted.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, five-night lamp-lit donation scene, stacked scripture bundles, Vaiṣṇava symbols, subtle celestial panel showing Viṣṇuloka and ascending ancestors, warm reds and ochres, ornate borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, donor before a seated guru with scripture bundles, gold-leaf lamps indicating five nights, small inset of Viṣṇu’s realm with gilded aura, rich jewelry and textiles","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, sequential narrative panels for five nights, careful depiction of labeled bundles (Pañcarātra, Purāṇa, Bhārata), calm ritual order, emphasis on procedure and offering gestures","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, nocturnal courtyard with lamps, donor presenting manuscripts to scholars, delicate rendering of books and attendants, cloud-band above with Viṣṇuloka vision and ancestors"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tāvadvarṣasahasrāṇi = tāvat + varṣa-sahasrāṇi; viṣṇuloke = viṣṇu-loke; dadannaraḥ = dadan + naraḥ; kulaikaviṃśamuddhṛtya = kula-eka-viṃśam + uddhṛtya.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 63 (Dāna-dharma section on gifts and their fruits)
FAQs
It teaches dāna-vidhi in principle: the high merit of donating sacred textual knowledge—Pañcarātra, Purāṇas, and the Bhārata—performed as a sustained offering over five nights.
Beyond rituals and theology, the Agni Purāṇa systematizes social-religious practice (dāna-dharma), quantifying results (Vishnuloka for thousands of years) and linking charity to lineage-benefit and final liberation.
Donating revered scriptures is presented as a powerful puṇya that grants heavenly honor, benefits twenty-one generations, and culminates in merging into the Supreme Reality (para-tattva).