Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 10
Chapter 299 — ग्रहहृन्मन्त्रादिकम्
Grahahṛn-Mantras and Allied Procedures
पृश्नीहिङ्गुवचाचक्रशिरीषदयितम्परम् पाशाङ्कुशधरं देवमक्षमालाकपालिनम्
pṛśnīhiṅguvacācakraśirīṣadayitamparam pāśāṅkuśadharaṃ devamakṣamālākapālinam
اس دیوتا کا دھیان کیا جائے جو پِرشنی، ہینگ، وَچا، چکر اور شِریش کو نہایت محبوب رکھتا ہے؛ وہ پاش اور اَنکُش دھارَن کرتا ہے اور تسبیح (اکشمالا) اور کاسۂ کَپال بھی رکھتا ہے۔
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Dhyāna/nyāsa support: specifying deity attributes (pāśa, aṅkuśa, akṣamālā, kapāla) and associated dravyas (pṛśnī, hiṅgu, vacā, cakra, śirīṣa) for ritual use, offerings, or protective fumigation/uncting depending on prayoga.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Dhyāna-lakṣaṇa: Deity with Pāśa–Aṅkuśa, Akṣamālā and Kapāla; Favored Dravyas","lookup_keywords":["pāśa","aṅkuśa","akṣamālā","kapāla","hiṅgu-vacā"],"quick_summary":"The verse gives a dhyāna-description of a deity holding noose and goad, rosary and skull-bowl, and notes preferred ritual substances (pṛśnī, hiṅgu, vacā, cakra, śirīṣa) used as offerings/adjuncts in worship."}
Dosha: Vata
Concept: Dhyāna as a technology of worship: precise visualization of attributes and ritual substances aligns the practitioner’s mind with the deity’s śakti and function (control, purification, transformation).
Application: Use the described attributes for mental visualization during nyāsa/japa; employ the listed dravyas as prescribed in the rite (dhūpa, lepa, bali, or upacāra) to stabilize practice.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Devata-dhyana and Mantra-nyasa / Iconography of deities)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A four-armed deity seated in a ritual space, holding pāśa and aṅkuśa, akṣamālā and kapāla; nearby are offerings of aromatic herbs (hiṅgu, vacā) and śirīṣa blossoms, suggesting a tantric pūjā setting.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: four-armed deity with pāśa and aṅkuśa, akṣamālā and kapāla, bold outlines and warm palette; offerings arranged—resinous hiṅgu, vacā roots, śirīṣa flowers—temple-wall symmetry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting: central deity with ornate crown and halo, gold-leaf on ornaments and weapons; akṣamālā rendered with pearls; kapāla with stylized sheen; offering plates with herbs and flowers in foreground.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined facial features, delicate shading; clear depiction of each attribute (noose, goad, rosary, skull-bowl) and labeled offering items; instructional devotional plate.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: intimate shrine interior with priest presenting offerings; deity icon with four arms; meticulous textiles, incense smoke curling from herbal dhūpa; subdued yet luminous palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: देवमक्षमालाकपालिनम् = देवम् + अक्षमालाकपालिनम् (sandhi: m+a). Long initial compound analyzed as multi-member determinative.
Related Themes: Agni Purana pūjā-vidhi and devatā-dhyāna/nyāsa sequences around ch. 299
FAQs
It gives a dhyāna-identification: the deity is to be visualized with specific emblems—noose and goad (pāśa, aṅkuśa) and with rosary and skull-bowl (akṣamālā, kapāla)—along with a stated affinity for certain herbs, which functions as a ritual correspondence in worship/meditative construction.
Alongside theology, it preserves practical liturgical detail: iconographic markers used for correct visualization and worship, and it also embeds materia (plant names) that link ritual practice with traditional herbal knowledge—showing the Purana’s cross-disciplinary cataloging of sādhanā, symbolism, and applied correspondences.
Correct dhyāna with the deity’s defining attributes is taught as a means to steadiness of mind and efficacy of worship; the pāśa–aṅkuśa symbolism indicates restraint and guidance of impulses, supporting purification and focused devotion.