Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 32
The Description of the Sarvatobhadra Maṇḍala (सर्वतोभद्रमण्डलकथनम्)
पञ्चविंशतिकव्यूहं मण्डलं विश्वरूपगं द्वात्रिंशद्धस्तकं क्षेत्रं भक्तं द्वात्रिंशता समं प्रसरन्ति वहिस्तद्वन्नाडीभिर्वीजरश्मयः अथावभासतो दैवीमात्मीकृत्य तनुं स्थिताः
pañcaviṃśatikavyūhaṃ maṇḍalaṃ viśvarūpagaṃ dvātriṃśaddhastakaṃ kṣetraṃ bhaktaṃ dvātriṃśatā samaṃ prasaranti vahistadvannāḍībhirvījaraśmayaḥ athāvabhāsato daivīmātmīkṛtya tanuṃ sthitāḥ
Ang maṇḍala ay inayos sa pormasyong may dalawampu’t limang bahagi at may anyong pangkalahatan (viśvarūpa). Ang kṣetra (pook-ritwal) ay sinusukat na tatlumpu’t dalawang hasta at hinahati nang pantay sa tatlumpu’t dalawang bahagi. Mula roon, ang mga sinag ng lakas-binhi (vīja-raśmi) ay lumalaganap palabas; gayundin, lumalawig sila sa pamamagitan ng mga nāḍī (maseselang daluyan). Pagkaraan, sa kanilang pagningning, sila’y nananatili—na inangkin ang banal na katawan bilang sariling katawan.
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Designing a 25-division viśvarūpa-maṇḍala and a 32-hasta kṣetra with 32 partitions; meditative mapping of outward ‘seed-rays’ (bīja-raśmi) to nāḍī-expansion and divine-body assimilation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Pañcaviṃśati-vyūha Viśvarūpa-maṇḍala & Dvātriṃśad-hasta Kṣetra; Bīja-raśmi–Nāḍī Vistāra","lookup_keywords":["pañcaviṃśati vyūha","viśvarūpa maṇḍala","dvātriṃśad hasta kṣetra","bīja raśmi","nāḍī expansion"],"quick_summary":"The maṇḍala is structured as 25 divisions with a universal (viśvarūpa) intent, set within a 32-hasta field partitioned into 32. Rays of bīja-śakti spread outward like nāḍīs, culminating in the practitioner’s identification with a divine body."}
Alamkara Type: Rūpaka (conceptual identification: rays ~ nāḍīs)
Concept: Microcosm–macrocosm correspondence: maṇḍala-space and nāḍī-body mirror each other; bīja-śakti expands and culminates in deha-devatā-abheda (identity with divine body).
Application: Use measured partitions to stabilize visualization; contemplate bīja as radiating through inner channels, then rest in the felt sense of ‘divine body’ (tanum ātmīkṛtya).
Khanda Section: Agneya-vidya / Yantra–Mandala–Nadi (Esoteric cosmology and subtle-body mapping)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A large ritual field measured in 32 hastas, divided into 32 equal parts; within it a 25-division universal-form maṇḍala. From the center, luminous seed-rays spread outward like a network of nāḍīs, culminating in a radiant divine-bodied practitioner.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, expansive geometric kṣetra grid (32 partitions) with a 25-cell maṇḍala, stylized golden rays branching like nāḍīs, practitioner seated in yoga becoming luminous, flat sacred palette and bold contours","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central radiant bīja at maṇḍala center, gold foil rays extending across a 32-part field, divine-bodied yogin with halo, ornate borders and temple ambience","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic clarity: 32-hasta field with numbered partitions, 25-division maṇḍala inset, fine rays mapped to nāḍī lines, calm yogin figure with subtle glow","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, measured courtyard with survey-like precision, artisans marking 32 divisions, central maṇḍala, delicate filigree rays spreading, yogin transforming with luminous aura, intricate textiles and architecture"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vahistadvannāḍībhirvījaraśmayaḥ → vahiḥ + tadvat + nāḍībhiḥ + vīja-raśmayaḥ; athāvabhāsato → atha + avabhāsataḥ; daivīmātmīkṛtya → daivīm + ātmīkṛtya.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 29.33 (nāḍī physiology specifics); Agni Purana 29.34-35 (bhadraka diagrams; prāṇa-jaya; mantra-lakṣaṇa; siddhi/vairāgya)
FAQs
It specifies a mandala’s technical layout: a 25-fold arrangement, a 32-hasta ritual field, and its equal 32-part division, along with the doctrine that bīja-power radiates outward and through nāḍīs.
Alongside myth and devotion, it preserves precise ritual-technical material—measurement (pramāṇa), diagrammatics (maṇḍala), and subtle physiology (nāḍī, bīja-raśmi)—showing the text’s coverage of applied esoteric sciences.
By internalizing the “divine body” through mandala-ordered bīja-radiance and nāḍī-expansion, the practitioner aligns the microcosm with the cosmic form (viśvarūpa), a purificatory integration aimed at heightened luminosity and steadiness in worship.