Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 9
Chapter 78 — पवित्रारोहणकथनं
Pavitrārohaṇa: Installing the Sanctifying Thread/Garland
तथैव पिण्डिकास्पर्शं चतुर्थं सर्वदैवतं गङ्गावतारकं कार्यं सुजातेन सुधौतकं
tathaiva piṇḍikāsparśaṃ caturthaṃ sarvadaivataṃ gaṅgāvatārakaṃ kāryaṃ sujātena sudhautakaṃ
เช่นเดียวกันพึงประกอบพิธี “สัมผัสปิณฑิกา” และเป็นกรรมลำดับที่สี่ให้ถวายบูชาแด่เทพทั้งปวง อีกทั้งพึงประกอบพิธี “อัญเชิญคงคาลงมา” โดยผู้มีชาติกำเนิด/คุณสมบัติอันเหมาะสม และด้วยเครื่อง/ภาชนะที่ล้างชำระจนบริสุทธิ์ดีแล้ว
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Guidance for śrāddha/piṇḍa-related acts and purification: piṇḍikā-sparśa, offering to all deities, and invoking Gaṅgā for ritual cleansing with qualified agency and clean implements.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śrāddha-śuddhi: Piṇḍikā-sparśa, Sarvadaivata offering, and Gaṅgā-avatāraṇa","lookup_keywords":["piṇḍikā-sparśa","sarvadaivata","gaṅgā-avatāraṇa","śrāddha","śuddhi"],"quick_summary":"Outlines sequential acts in a purification/ancestor-rite context: touch-rite of the piṇḍikā, a universal-deity offering as a defined step, and a Gaṅgā-invocation performed with proper qualification and cleanliness."}
Concept: Śauca (purity) and adhikāra (qualification) govern the efficacy of rites for devas and pitṛs.
Application: Maintain cleanliness of materials and ensure the performer/assistant is qualified (sujāta/fit) when conducting purification invocations.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Śrāddha/Piṇḍa-dāna and purification rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A śrāddha setting: a performer touches the piṇḍikā on a leaf/plate, then offers to all deities, while a priest invokes Gaṅgā with a clean vessel and purified implements.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, riverside ritual pavilion, piṇḍa offerings on banana leaves, priest sprinkling water while invoking Gaṅgā, attendants with washed vessels, subdued sacred palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ritual altar with piṇḍas, gold-highlighted Gaṅgā presence as a small standing goddess motif above a kalasha, richly ornamented priestly figures, luminous sanctity","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear step-by-step tableau: (1) piṇḍikā touch, (2) sarvadaivata offering, (3) Gaṅgā-avatāraṇa with clean pot; labeled panels for instructional use","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed domestic courtyard śrāddha scene, offerings arranged meticulously, a learned brāhmaṇa pouring water from a shining vessel, a faint river-deity motif in the sky"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथैव = तथा एव; पिण्डिकास्पर्शं = पिण्डिका-स्पर्शम्; गङ्गावतारकं = गङ्गा-अवतारकम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana Śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna related procedures (elsewhere in puja-vidhi); Agni Purana tīrtha/śuddhi discussions involving Gaṅgā (if present in related ritual chapters)
FAQs
It specifies sequential śrāddha-style actions: ritual contact with the piṇḍikā, a collective offering to all deities as a defined “fourth step,” and a Gaṅgā-invocation (Gaṅgāvatāraṇa) performed with properly qualified agency and purified materials.
It demonstrates the text’s procedural cataloging of ritual micro-steps—qualification of the performer, cleanliness standards, and discrete rite-names—typical of the Agni Purana’s handbook-like coverage of pūjā, śrāddha, and purification disciplines.
The verse frames purity (sudhautaka) and proper rite-performance as essential for effective purification, linking piṇḍa-related actions and Gaṅgā’s invoked presence with sanctification and merit-bearing completion of ancestral/ritual obligations.