Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 31
Chapter 38 — देवालयनिर्माणफलं
The Merit of Constructing a Temple
तथैव च इति ग, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः सर्वेशस्य इति ख, चिह्नितपुस्तकपाठः शिवब्रह्मार्कविघ्नेशचण्डीलक्ष्म्यादिकात्मनां देवालयकृतेः पुण्यं प्रतिमाकरणेधिकं
tathaiva ca iti ga, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ sarveśasya iti kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ śivabrahmārkavighneśacaṇḍīlakṣmyādikātmanāṃ devālayakṛteḥ puṇyaṃ pratimākaraṇedhikaṃ
对于形相为湿婆、梵天、太阳神、毗诃尼沙（伽内沙）、旃荼梨、吉祥天（拉克什米）等诸尊者，建造神庙所得之福德，尚不及塑造其圣像（mūrti）所得之功德。
Lord Agni (in dialogue with the sage Vasiṣṭha, standard frame of the Agni Purāṇa)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Shilpa","secondary_vidya":"Vastu","practical_application":"Guidance for religious patronage priorities: alongside temple construction, commissioning properly made icons (pratimā) of major deities is taught as yielding even greater merit; supports organized icon-making workshops and consecration programs.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Devālaya-kṛti vs Pratimā-karaṇa Puṇya (comparative merit)","lookup_keywords":["devālaya-kṛti","pratimā-karaṇa","puṇya-adhika","Śiva-Brahmā-Sūrya-Gaṇeśa","Caṇḍī-Lakṣmī"],"quick_summary":"For deities such as Śiva, Brahmā, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Caṇḍī, and Lakṣmī, the merit of fashioning their icons is stated to exceed the merit of merely building their temples."}
Concept: Sacred presence is most effectively mediated through properly made icons; hence pratimā-karaṇa is a superior dharmic gift/work compared to construction alone.
Application: When sponsoring religious works, allocate resources to qualified sculptors and correct iconographic standards, not only to buildings; ensure icons are made and installed per śāstra.
Khanda Section: Vāstu-Śilpa & Pratimā-Lakṣaṇa (Temple construction and icon-making)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sculptor’s workshop and a temple site juxtaposed: artisans carving icons of Śiva, Brahmā, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Caṇḍī, and Lakṣmī; patrons offering support; the finished mūrtis prepared for installation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: a śilpin carving stone/wood icons of multiple deities with stylized features; beside it a simple temple outline; emphasis on the radiant completed pratimās; traditional tools and measuring cords depicted.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: finished icons of the listed deities displayed with gold ornamentation; a patron presenting offerings; background shows a temple façade; gold work highlights the pratimās as the spiritual focal point.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional workshop scene—measuring tāla-māna on a half-finished Gaṇeśa and Lakṣmī icon; reference grid lines; calm palette; a small inset of a temple to show comparison of merits.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed atelier with sculptors, chisels, and patrons; multiple deity icons in various stages; architectural drawing scrolls; refined interior setting with careful attention to craft."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shree","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तथा + एव → तथैव; सर्व + ईशस्य → सर्वेशस्य; देव + आलय → देवालय; प्रतिमा + करण + अधिकम् → प्रतिमाकरणेधिकं (करणात् अधिकम्—पाठानुसारं विग्रहः; संधि-लेखनात् 'करणेधिकम्' दृश्यते). Verse contains critical apparatus markers (ga/kha, cihnitapustakapāṭhaḥ) treated as editorial indeclinables/nouns.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Pratimā-lakṣaṇa and iconography chapters (Śiva, Devī, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Lakṣmī forms); Agni Purana: Vāstu chapters on devālaya construction and consecration rites
FAQs
It states a Vāstu–Śilpa principle of ritual merit: crafting consecratable deity icons (pratimā-karaṇa) for deities like Śiva, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa, Caṇḍī, and Lakṣmī yields greater puṇya than temple construction alone.
It exemplifies the text’s coverage of applied sacred sciences—Vāstu (architecture) and Śilpa (icon-making)—by ranking religious outcomes (puṇya) tied to concrete works like devālaya-nirmāṇa and pratimā-nirmāṇa.
The verse teaches that enabling direct worship through properly made images is karmically weightier, hence producing superior merit compared to constructing the temple structure without emphasizing icon installation.