Agni Purana — Vastu-Pratishtha & Isana-kalpa, Shloka 29
Chapter 81 — समयदीक्षाविधानम्
Procedure for Samaya Initiation
आप्ये रत्नैः पूरयन्तीं हृदा मण्डपरूपिणीं अस्त्राम्बु इति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः शिष्ये पापविमोचक इति ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः साम्बुवस्त्रे सरत्ने च धान्यस्थे पश्चिमानने
āpye ratnaiḥ pūrayantīṃ hṛdā maṇḍaparūpiṇīṃ astrāmbu iti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ śiṣye pāpavimocaka iti ṅa, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ sāmbuvastre saratne ca dhānyasthe paścimānane
ในภาชนะน้ำ พึงใช้มนตร์ ‘หฤทา’ เพ่งตั้งพลังผู้มีรูปเป็นมณฑลให้เต็มด้วยรัตนะ (ต้นฉบับที่มีเครื่องหมายบางแห่งอ่านว่า ‘อัสตรามพุ’; และในคำสอนแก่ศิษย์บางแห่งอ่านว่า ‘ปาปวิโมจก’) แล้ววางบนผ้าที่ชุบน้ำ พร้อมรัตนะ บนแท่นธัญญาหาร โดยให้หันหน้าไปทางทิศตะวันตก
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha (standard dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Kumbha/maṇḍala installation: visualize the maṇḍala-śakti in a water vessel via hṛd-mantra, enrich with ratna symbolism, and place the vessel on prescribed supports (wet cloth, gems, grain-bed) with correct orientation.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Hṛdā-mantra Maṇḍala-nyāsa in Āpya-kalaśa with Ratna and Dhānya-āsana","lookup_keywords":["hṛdā-mantra","kalaśa","maṇḍala-rūpiṇī","ratna","dhānya-āsana"],"quick_summary":"Install/visualize the maṇḍala-form power in the water-vessel using the heart-mantra, ‘fill’ it with jewels in contemplation, and set the vessel on a damp cloth with gems over a bed of grain, oriented westward."}
Concept: Mantra-driven visualization (bhāvanā) ‘makes present’ the deity as maṇḍala; material supports (water, grain, gems) externalize inner abundance and stability.
Application: During pūjā, maintain correct vessel placement and orientation; treat supports as part of the rite (clean cloth, stable grain-bed), and keep visualization steady while reciting the hṛd-mantra.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Tantra-Mantra (Ritual diagram, consecration, and mantra-nyasa instructions)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A priest consecrates a water pot: he recites the heart-mantra while visualizing a radiant maṇḍala-deity inside the vessel, imagined as brimming with jewels; the pot rests on a damp cloth with gems, placed atop a mound of grain, oriented to the west.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, central kumbha glowing with mandala aura, stylized jewels within, priest in profile chanting, grain-bed and wet cloth rendered as patterned textures, warm lamp-lit mandapa","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, heavy gold work on the kumbha and mandala halo, embedded gem motifs, rich reds and greens, grain-bed as ornate base, priest with ritual implements","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional clarity: kumbha on wet cloth, gems, grain-bed, arrow indicating west orientation, priest performing mantra-japa with calm expression","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed still-life of ritual objects: water pot, gems, damp cloth, grain heap; priest seated with manuscript and rosary; architectural setting with west-facing alignment"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मण्डपरूपिणीं = मण्डप + रूपिणीम्; अस्त्राम्बु = अस्त्र + अम्बु; साम्बुवस्त्रे = स + अम्बु + वस्त्रे; सरत्ने = स + रत्ने; पश्चिमानने = पश्चिम + आनने. ‘ङ, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः’ are editorial apparatus, not classical padas.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 81 (kalaśa-sthāpana, nyāsa, dik-arcana sequence)
FAQs
It gives a precise ritual setup: empower/establish a maṇḍala-form using the hṛdaya (heart) mantra, use (variant) astra-empowered water for protection/purification, and place the ritual base on a water-damp cloth with gems, on a bed of grain, oriented west-facing.
It preserves highly technical liturgical detail—mantra-application (hṛdaya/astrā), material requisites (cloth, gems, grain), and spatial orientation—showing the Agni Purana’s coverage of practical Tantra/Puja procedures alongside broader religious instruction.
The rite emphasizes purification and protection (pāpavimocaka/astrāmbu variants) and the correct consecration of sacred space; performing it properly is presented as removing impurity and stabilizing auspiciousness in the ritual field.