Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 12
Saṃskāra-kathana
Account of the Saṃskāras
संस्कारैः संस्कृतश् चैतैर् भुक्तिमुक्तिमवाप्नुयात् सर्वरोगाद्विनिर्मुक्तो देववद्वर्तते नरः जप्याद्धोमात्पूजनाच्च ध्यानाद्देवस्य चेष्टभाक्
saṃskāraiḥ saṃskṛtaś caitair bhuktimuktimavāpnuyāt sarvarogādvinirmukto devavadvartate naraḥ japyāddhomātpūjanācca dhyānāddevasya ceṣṭabhāk
由这些成就净化的圣礼（saṁskāra）所陶冶之人，既得世间受用，亦得解脱（mokṣa）。远离一切疾病，此人如天神般而住。应依神所规定之行持：持诵真言（japa）、火供（homa）、礼拜供养与禅观。
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) addressing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Puja-vidhi","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Daily/occasional saṃskāra-aligned worship regimen: japa, homa, pūjā, dhyāna to cultivate purity, health, and spiritual progress.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Saṃskāra-sādhana for Bhukti–Mukti (Japa–Homa–Pūjā–Dhyāna)","lookup_keywords":["saṃskāra","bhukti-mukti","japa","homa","dhyāna"],"quick_summary":"The verse frames saṃskāras as a complete discipline yielding both worldly well-being and liberation, prescribing a fourfold practice: mantra-recitation, fire-offering, worship, and meditation."}
Concept: Saṃskāra-śuddhi and upāsanā as a means to bhukti (well-being) and mukti (liberation).
Application: Structure practice as a ladder: japa (speech), homa (action), pūjā (devotion), dhyāna (mind) to integrate body–speech–mind in worship.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi / Saṃskāra-prayoga (Ritual observances and purificatory rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A purified householder performing a fourfold worship sequence: seated japa with mālā, tending a small homa fire, offering flowers at a deity altar, and closing eyes in meditation—radiant, healthy, ‘godlike’ demeanor.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, warm earthy palette, a devotee in white dhoti performing japa before a small homa-kuṇḍa, brass lamps, stylized flames, serene deity presence in the background, emphasis on ritual purity and calm.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central altar with Viṣṇu or iṣṭa-devatā, gold leaf highlights on lamps and ornaments, devotee offering flowers, homa fire at side, rich textiles, haloed serenity suggesting bhukti–mukti.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean linework showing stepwise ritual: japa (mālā), homa (ladle and fire), pūjā (flowers and water), dhyāna (closed eyes), labeled implements, instructional composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate interior with prayer niche, devotee performing homa and pūjā, fine detailing of vessels and manuscripts, subdued contemplative mood, balanced geometry around the fire and altar."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: संस्कृतश् चैतैर् = संस्कृतः + च + एतैः; भुक्तिमुक्तिमवाप्नुयात् = भुक्ति + मुक्ति + अवाप्नुयात्; सर्वरोगाद्विनिर्मुक्तो = सर्वरोगात् + विनिर्मुक्तः; देववद्वर्तते = देववत् + वर्तते; जप्याद्धोमात्पूजनाच्च = जप्यात् + होमात् + पूजनात् + च; ध्यानाद्देवस्य = ध्यानात् + देवस्य
Related Themes: Agni Purana 32 (saṃskāra-kathana context); Agni Purana 33 (pūjā-vidhi continuation)
FAQs
It teaches a practical upāsanā-method: complete one’s saṁskāras and then maintain deity-practice through four core limbs—japa (mantra repetition), homa (fire oblations), pūjā (formal worship), and dhyāna (meditation).
It links ritual science (saṁskāra and pūjā-vidhi) with applied outcomes—health (freedom from disease), worldly success (bhukti), and liberation (mukti)—showing how the text integrates dharma, practical well-being, and soteriology in a single instruction.
By purification through saṁskāras and sustained devotion via japa–homa–pūjā–dhyāna, one is said to remove karmic and bodily afflictions and become fit for both prosperity and mokṣa.