Agni Purana — Mantra-shastra, Shloka 13
Chapter 312 — Various Mantras (नानामन्त्राः)
गोमध्ये नाम संलिख्य चाष्टपत्रे च मध्यतः श्मशानादिपटे श्मशानाङ्गारेण विलेखयेत्
gomadhye nāma saṃlikhya cāṣṭapatre ca madhyataḥ śmaśānādipaṭe śmaśānāṅgāreṇa vilekhayet
آٹھ پنکھڑی والے یَنتر کے وسط میں (شخص کا) نام لکھ کر، شمشان کے کام میں استعمال ہونے والے کپڑے پر شمشان کے انگارے/راکھ سے اسے تحریر کرنا چاہیے۔
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, per the Agni Purāṇa’s common frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tantra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Abhicāra-oriented yantra-lekhana: writing a target name in an aṣṭapatra (eight-petalled) diagram and transferring it onto śmaśāna-cloth using cremation charcoal/ash as ink.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Abhicāra-lekhana: aṣṭapatra-yantra with śmaśāna-aṅgāra writing","lookup_keywords":["aṣṭapatra-yantra","nāma-lekhana","śmaśāna-paṭa","aṅgāra","abhicāra"],"quick_summary":"Prescribes a specific hostile/protective ritual writing method: inscribe the person’s name in the center of an eight-petalled diagram and write it on cremation-ground cloth using pyre charcoal/ash."}
Concept: Yantra and name as ‘address’ for ritual intention; śmaśāna materials signify dissolution and coercive transformation in abhichāra.
Application: Follow exact diagram placement and material prescriptions to ‘bind’ the intended effect within the ritual medium (paṭa + aṅgāra).
Khanda Section: Mantra-Tantra and Abhicara (Protective/Ritual Procedures)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sādhaka draws an eight-petalled lotus diagram, writes a person’s name at the center, then inscribes it onto a dark funerary cloth using cremation charcoal; background hints of a cremation-ground.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, nocturnal śmaśāna setting with stylized flames in distance, sādhaka seated drawing aṣṭapatra lotus on palm-leaf/ground, then writing on dark paṭa with black aṅgāra, strong contrasts and ritual intensity","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central yantra (eight-petalled lotus) rendered with gold outlines, sādhaka holding stylus dipped in black ash, minimal but iconic cremation-ground symbols (pyre, skull motif) in corners, gold embossing","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear instructional depiction of aṣṭapatra diagram with labeled center ‘nāma’, tools (charcoal, cloth) neatly arranged, calm didactic layout","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed artisan-like scene of writing on cloth with charcoal, eight-petalled diagram on a board, subdued smoky background suggesting cremation-ground, fine brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गोमध्ये→गो-मध्ये; चाष्टपत्रे→च अष्टपत्रे; श्मशानादिपटे→श्मशान-आदि-पटे; श्मशानाङ्गारेण→श्मशान-अङ्गारेण.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 312 (abhicāra subsections: lekhana, paṭa, aṅgāra, uccāṭana etc.)
FAQs
It teaches a yantra-style procedure: write the target name in the center of an eight-petalled lotus diagram and inscribe it using cremation-ground charcoal/ash on a funerary-type cloth—an instruction typical of mantra–tantra operational rites.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves applied ritual technologies (mantra/yantra, materials, and method), documenting specialized procedures alongside other domains like polity, medicine, and poetics—hence its encyclopedic scope.
By employing śmaśāna materials (associated with impermanence and liminality), the rite is framed as a potent, boundary-transgressing ritual act, traditionally believed to intensify efficacy and produce strong karmic consequences depending on intent and adherence to dharma.