Agni Purana — Sahitya-shastra, Shloka 60
Chapter 342: शब्दालङ्काराः
Verbal/Sound-based Ornaments
अन्तिमं परिबध्नीयाद्यावत्तुर्यमिहादिमत् पादात्तुर्याद्यदेवाद्यं नवमात् षोडशादपि
antimaṃ paribadhnīyādyāvatturyamihādimat pādātturyādyadevādyaṃ navamāt ṣoḍaśādapi
Dapat “itali/ilagay nang matatag” ang huling bahagi hanggang sa ikaapat na yunit dito, na nagsisimula sa una. At mula sa pāda, simula sa ikaapat na yunit, dapat ding “itali/ilagay” ang hanay na ‘deva-ādi’ (deva-una), mula ikasiyam hanggang ikalabing-anim.
Lord Agni (in instruction to the sage Vasiṣṭha, standard Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Mātrikā/nyāsa-bandhana-vidhi: akṣara-krameṇa (1–4) ‘antima’ sthāpanā/bandhanaṃ, punaḥ pāda-turya-ārambhāt ‘deva-ādi’ śreṇīṃ 9–16 paryantaṃ nyasyati—yantra/śarīra-nyāse akṣara-sthāna-niyamaḥ.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Bandhana-nyāsa: antima-turya-paryanta & deva-ādi (9–16) krama","lookup_keywords":["nyāsa","bandhana","mātrikā-krama","deva-ādi","9-16"],"quick_summary":"The instruction prescribes binding/placing a final element up to the fourth unit starting from the first, then performing an additional placement sequence called ‘deva-ādi’ from the ninth through the sixteenth. It reads as a technical nyāsa/bandhana rule for mantra-mātrikā ordering."}
Concept: śabda-śakti-niyamanam—akṣara-krameṇa nyāsaḥ bandhanaṃ ca mantra-siddhyai
Application: Upāsakaḥ yantra-patre vā aṅga-nyāse vā akṣarāṇi niyata-krameṇa nyaset; krama-bhraṃśe siddhi-vighna iti tantra-paddhatiṣu manyate.
Khanda Section: Tantra-Mantra & Yantra-Vidhi (Nyasa, Bandhana, Matrika-krama)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A yantra or body-nyāsa diagram with numbered akṣaras: 1–4 marked as a binding sequence ending in ‘antima’, and a second arc labeled ‘deva-ādi’ spanning 9–16; practitioner performs nyāsa with right hand mudrā.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, stylized yantra on a red-ochre ground, numbers 1–4 and 9–16 indicated with traditional glyph-like marks, sādhaka performing nyāsa mudrā, temple ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf yantra lines, sādhaka seated before a yantra-patra, highlighted sequences 1–4 and 9–16, rich reds/greens, sacred lamp glow.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear technical yantra diagram with numbered akṣara placements, sādhaka demonstrating hand mudrā, fine linework and soft shading for instructional clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed ritual scene with a geometric yantra sheet, precise numbering 1–4 and 9–16, attendant holding manuscript, subdued palette with intricate borders."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Raga Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: परिबध्नीयाद्यावत् → परिबध्नीयात् यावत्; तुर्यमिहादिमत् → तुर्यम् इह आदि-मत्; पादात्तुर्याद्य → पादात् तुर्यादि; तुर्याद्यदेवाद्यं → तुर्यादि यत् एव आद्यम्; नवमात् षोडशादपि → नवमात् षोडशात् अपि.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 342 (chandas-krama—akṣara-gaṇanā terminology overlap); Agni Purana tantra/mantra prakaraṇas (nyāsa, yantra, mātrikā—recension-dependent chapters)
FAQs
It gives a procedural rule for bandhana/nyāsa: how to ‘bind’ (fix/place) the final element and how to map placements by counting positions (1–4, then 9–16) across pāda-divisions.
Beyond mythology, the text preserves technical tantric praxis—numbered placement schemes for syllabic energies (mātrikā), reflecting a manual-like transmission of ritual technology.
Correct nyāsa/bandhana is held to stabilize mantra-śakti, prevent ritual faults (doṣa), and make the practice spiritually efficacious for protection and purification.