Agnipurana 29

English (machine translation) 29

Language: English

29.3 — 1 part
29.7 — 2 parts
29.15 — 2 parts
29.19 — 1 part
29.25 — 4 parts
29.32 — 1 part
29.35 — 3 parts
29.37 — 2 parts
29.47 — 5 parts
29.50 — 3 parts

29.1

Nārada said: / The practitioner should master the mantra in an abode of the deity or similar place, / on pure ground, or in a house, having first worshipped Hari, the Supreme Lord, in a maṇḍala.

29.2

In a field made square, he should draw maṇḍalas and the like. / In two hundred and fifty-six compartments, he should draw the Sarvatobhadra [maṇḍala].

29.3

The lotus consists of thirty-six compartments; outside it, in a row, is the seat; / next is a pathway of two [rows], and in the cardinal directions are doors measuring two [compartments].

29.4

Having inscribed a circle within the lotus-field previously mentioned, / having rotated it at half of the lotus, [and] leaving the twelfth part outside,

29.5

dividing it, he should draw the remaining circular field of four zones. / The first is the field of the pericarp; the second is that of the filaments;

the third is that of the petal joints; the fourth is that of the petal tips. / Stretching the corner cords, and having placed the ends / at the midpoint between the corners and directions on the tips of the filaments, he should mark the petal joints. / Then, having dropped the cords, he should draw the eight petals there.

29.7

Then, having dropped the cords, he should draw the eight petals there.

29.8

Placing the measure of the interval between the petal joints in the center, / he should rotate the tip of the petal with it, and immediately thereafter its apex.

29.9

Placing that interval on its sides, and in an outward order, / he should draw two filaments each in the middle of each petal.

29.10

This is the general characteristic of the lotus; it is called twelve-petalled. / With a measure equal to half of the pericarp, he should rotate in order from the east.

29.11

On its side, by the motion of the compass, there are indeed six coils; / thus there are twelve fish figures, and through them is the twelve-petalled [lotus].

29.12

For the accomplishment of the five-petalled lotus, having made the fish figure thus for the lotus, / outside the sky-line is the pedestal; there he should clear the compartments:

29.13

three in the corners for the feet, and the others in pairs; / coated in the four directions, they become the limbs.

29.14

Then he should erase two rows in the directions for the sake of the pathway; / he should make four doors in all four directions.

29.15

On the sides of the doors, the wise man should make eight decorative projections.

29.15.p1

[Footnote]

29.15.p2

[Footnote 1: The manuscript marked ṅa reads 'paṅktidvayaṃ dvayaṃ dikṣu vīthyarthaṃ viniyojayet'. / p. 80]

29.15_2

Beside them, as many subsidiary projections are proclaimed.

29.16

Near the subsidiary projections, corners are proclaimed; / from there, in the four directions, he should design two [compartments] each from the central compartments.

29.17

He should wipe out four on the outside, and one on each of the two sides; / for the sake of the decorative projection, he should erase three on each side of the petal.

29.18

In the same inverted manner, he should then make the subsidiary projection. / Inside and outside the corner, he should design three by a twofold division.

29.19

Thus it becomes sixteen compartments; thus is another maṇḍala. / In a division of twelve, the lotus has thirty-six squares, while the pathway

29.20

is one row; with two rows are the door, decorative projection, and the rest, as before. / In a maṇḍala of one cubit, the lotus is twelve finger-breadths;

29.21

in one of two cubits, it should measure one cubit, or he should proceed by increase through the door. / The lotus of the disc without a pedestal is square and without rays.

29.22

Half of the lotus is said to be nine [digits], and the nave is handed down as three;
one should make the door-openings eight [digits], and the rim four digits.

29.23

Dividing the field into three and then marking off within by two,
one should snap lines upon them to draw spokes for the sake of attaining the fifth interval.

29.24

One should draw them shaped like blue lotus petals, or like the citron fruit,
or elongated like lotus petals, according to one's wish.

29.25

Rotating outside on the rim, positioned in the junction-interval of the spokes,
one should rotate the base of the spokes, situated in the midst of the junction.

29.25.p1

29.25.p2

1 The reading in the manuscript marked gha is 'parimārjitā'.

29.25.p3

2 The reading in the manuscript marked kha is 'dvidhā'.

29.25.p4

3 The reading in the manuscript marked kha is 'pañcāntarastvasiddhyartham'; the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'pañcottarastu siddhyartham'.
:p 81

29.26

Situated in the middle of a spoke, one should rotate the central turning-pin evenly;
thus the intervals are well produced, even, resembling citron fruits.

29.27

Dividing the field of fourteen cubits equally into seven parts,
when it is halved, there are indeed one hundred and ninety-six

29.28

squares; with four of them one should draw an auspicious figure in the centre.
One should leave space around for a pathway, and likewise in the directions one should draw

29.29

lotuses; then, clearing around for a pathway,
one should erase two middle squares in each of the directions for the neck.

29.30

Then one should erase four on the outside, and three by three;
on the outside, beside the neck, is one [part]: that is proclaimed as the vestibule.

29.31

Erasing at the outer corners, one should wipe out three ending at the seventh.
The maṇḍala should consist of nine divisions; one should worship Hari in nine manifestations.

29.32

The maṇḍala of twenty-five manifestations pertains to the universal form;
a field measuring thirty-two cubits is divided equally into thirty-two.

29.33

When this is done, one thousand and twenty-four
squares are stated; with sixteen squares in the centre,

29.34

having drawn an auspicious figure and wiped out a row on the side,
one should then draw eight auspicious figures in the directions with sixteen squares [each].

29.35

Then, having wiped out a row, one should likewise draw sixteen auspicious figures,
and having cleared a row all around, one should then arrange

29.36

twelve doorways in the directions, three by three in proper sequence;
erasing six on the inside, four in the middle, [and] on the flanks

29.37

four on the inside, and erasing two on the outside for the sake of the vestibule;
for the sake of producing secondary doorways, three on the inside and five on the outside,

29.37.p1

29.37.p2

1 The reading in the manuscripts marked kha, ga, and gha is 'dikṣu tatrāṣṭakaṃ likhet'.
:p 82

29.38

and having wiped away, one should arrange the vestibule as before.
At the outer corners, one should wipe out three squares ending at the seventh.

29.39

In the [maṇḍala] of twenty-five manifestations, one should worship the supreme Brahman on the lotus;
in the centre, on the lotus beginning from the east, Vāsudeva and the others in order.

29.40

Having worshipped the Boar on the eastern lotus, one should then in sequence
worship the manifestations until there are twenty-six.

29.41

The entire manifestation as prescribed should be worshipped sequentially on a single lotus;
Pracetas considers the sacrifice thus [performed] with care.

29.42

He considers Acyuta divided through distinct bodily forms.
A field of forty cubits should be divided progressively beyond:

29.43

each into seven again, and likewise each again into two,
[yielding] one thousand seven hundred and sixty-four

29.44

squares, and an auspicious figure in the centre with sixteen squares.
At the side a pathway, and then eight auspicious figures, and then a pathway,

29.45

sixteen lotuses, then a pathway, twenty-four lotuses,
a pathway, thirty-two lotuses, then lotuses of the pathway row,

29.46

forty, and then a pathway; and by means of the remaining three rows
there should be doorways, vestibules, and minor vestibules, erasing in the directions and in the middle.

29.47

For the attainment of two, four, and six doors, one should erase in the four directions;
[erasing] five, three, and one on the outside for the attainment of vestibules and secondary doorways.

29.47.p1

29.47.p2

1 The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'śubhe'.

29.47.p3

2 The reading in the two manuscripts marked ga and gha is 'yaṣṭavyamiti yajñena'; the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'yaṣṭavyamiti mantreṇa'.

29.47.p4

3 The reading in the manuscript marked kha is 'pracetā manyate dhruvam'.

29.47.p5

4 The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'hyuttamam'.
:p 83

29.48

On the flanks of the doorways, within, six, or four from the middle;
one should erase two by two; thus there are six minor vestibules.

29.49

In one direction the count should be four by enumeration.

29.50

In each single direction there are also three doorways.
One should erase five by five in the corners in row after row in succession;
thus there will be an auspicious maṇḍala pleasing to mortals.

29.50.p1

Thus ends the twenty-ninth chapter, entitled "Characteristics of the Maṇḍala and Related Matters," in the venerable Agni Mahāpurāṇa.

29.50.p3

Now, the thirtieth chapter.

29.50.p4

The Rule of the Maṇḍala.

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Agnipurāṇa (Nag Publishers edition, Delhi) — Sanskrit

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Agnipurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit

Agnipurana 29

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