Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 5
Chapter 68 — यात्रोत्सवविधिकथनं
Account of the Procedure for the Processional Festival / Yātrā-Utsava Vidhi
कुलत्थमाषनिष्पावान् क्षालयित्वा तु वापयेत् पूर्वादौ च बलिं दद्यात् भ्रमन् दीपैः पुरं निशि
kulatthamāṣaniṣpāvān kṣālayitvā tu vāpayet pūrvādau ca baliṃ dadyāt bhraman dīpaiḥ puraṃ niśi
เมื่อชำระล้างกุลัตถะ มาษะ และนิษปาวะแล้ว พึงหว่านเพาะ; และเริ่มจากทิศตะวันออกถวายบะลี จากนั้นในยามราตรีพึงเวียนรอบเมืองถือประทีป
Lord Agni (traditionally narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Perform festival preliminaries: wash and sow specified pulses for aṅkura; offer directional bali starting from the east; conduct nocturnal nagara-pradakṣiṇā with lamps for protection, auspiciousness, and communal sanctification.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Aṅkura-sowing, Dik-bali from East, and Night Lamp-Circumambulation of the Town","lookup_keywords":["kulattha","māṣa","niṣpāva","bali","dīpa-pradakṣiṇā"],"quick_summary":"After washing horse-gram, black-gram, and chickpeas, sow them for auspicious sprouts. Begin bali offerings from the eastern quarter, then circumambulate the town at night carrying lamps."}
Dosha: Vata
Concept: Directional order (east-first) and boundary rites (pradakṣiṇā with light) maintain harmony between humans, deities, and local spirits.
Application: Use dik-krama for offerings; employ lamp processions as community-wide śānti and rakṣā practice during festivals.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Vrata–Bali–Pradakshina / Nagarapradakshina with lamps)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"At dusk turning to night, devotees wash and sow pulses in trays; priests offer bali in the eastern quarter; a lamp-bearing procession circles the town walls/streets.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, night scene with rows of oil lamps, devotees circling a stylized town, priest offering bali at an eastern marker, deep blues with warm lamp glow","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-lit lamps and ornate trays, priest at east with bali offerings, procession encircling town depicted as a jeweled mandala, rich reds and gold","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear stepwise depiction: washing pulses, sowing, bali by directions starting east, then lamp pradakṣiṇā at night; elegant figures and soft palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed nocturnal street procession with lanterns/lamps, townspeople in line, priestly bali at a corner shrine, architectural panorama of the town"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Malkauns","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kulatthamāṣaniṣpāvān → kulattha-māṣa-niṣpāvān (dvandva); pūrvādau → pūrva-ādau.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 68.3-68.4 (aṅkura-ropana materials); Agni Purana 68 (bali/utsava procedures)
FAQs
It prescribes a civic-protective ritual: cleanse and sow specific pulses, offer bali beginning from the east, and perform a night-time lamp-circumambulation of the town.
It records a practical, procedural rite combining agriculture (sowing), direction-based ritual protocol (east-first), and public religious observance (lamp procession), showing the text’s coverage of both domestic and civic religious technologies.
The sequence—purification (washing), auspicious initiation (east-first), bali-offering, and lamp-circumambulation—functions as a merit-generating and apotropaic act meant to invite auspiciousness and ward off harm for the community.