Agnipurana 54

English (machine translation) 54

Language: English

54.7 — 4 parts
54.17 — 5 parts
54.29 — 3 parts
54.37 — 10 parts
54.47 — 5 parts
54.48 — 3 parts

54.1

The Lord said: / I shall state the measurements and other properties of the liṅga in another manner; listen: / I shall speak of the liṅga made of salt, and that made of ghee which increases intellect;

54.2

a cloth liṅga is for prosperity; they consider [these] liṅgas temporary. / An earthen one may be baked or unbaked; the baked one is better than the unbaked.

54.3

Better than that is one made of wood, meritorious; better than one made of wood is one of stone; / better than stone is one made of pearl; then one made of iron, and one made of gold.

54.4

One of silver is celebrated, [and] copper, [and] brass, granting worldly enjoyment and liberation; / a tin liṅga and a mercury liṅga are superior, granting worldly enjoyment and liberation.

54.5

One should augment the mercury-born [liṅga] containing mercury, iron and other metals, and gems; / measurement and other rules are not required for one established by perfected beings or one that is self-manifest.

54.6

And on their left, the arrangement of pedestal and temple is according to one's wish. / One should worship [the deity] situated in the disc of the sun, reflected in a mirror.

54.7

When Hara is worshipped, there is full worship in every liṅga. / Stone [liṅgas] are of the variety exceeding a cubit, and wooden ones are indeed just like that.

54.7.p1

[...]

54.7.p2

1 "I shall explain in due manner" is the reading in the manuscript marked ga.

54.7.p3

2 "Made of gems" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha.

54.7.p4

3 "In a cubit indeed there are diverse stones" is the reading in the manuscript marked ga. / [Page 152]

54.8

A movable [liṅga] is measured by digits, while a stationary one is measured by cubits of the door and the sanctum. / A household liṅga should be from one digit up to fifteen digits.

54.9

From the measure of the door, it is threefold; from the measure of the sanctum, it is ninefold. / One should worship the liṅga in the shrine according to the ninefold measure of the sanctum.

54.10

Thus thirty-six liṅgas are to be known by the superior measure, / thirty-six by the middling measure, and thirty-six by the inferior.

54.11

Thus by combination there are one hundred and eight liṅgas. / The smallest movable [liṅga] is said to range from one digit up to five.

54.12

The middling movable liṅga ranges from six digits up to ten; / the superior should range from eleven digits up to fifteen.

54.13

With great precious stones it is six digits; with other gems, nine digits; / made of a bhāra of gold, [it is measured] by twelve; with the remaining materials, by fifteen.

54.14

Having removed four parts from the upper region in sixteenths and fourths, / one should pare away thirty-seconds and sixteenths at the corners.

54.15

From setting four parts, the neck is formed, and likewise twenty by six parts; / with both flanks pared away, an excellent movable liṅga is produced.

54.16

The door is in parts of four, six, or eight of the shrine, successively from the inferior [to the superior]; / the liṅga should be less than the height of the door, successively reduced by one fourth.

54.17

An inferior liṅga is half the sanctum; the best is three-fifths. / Between those two, one should drop seven equal cords.

54.17.p1

[...]

54.17.p2

1 "The forest [liṅga] is measured by digits, while it is situated in cubits of the door and sanctum" is the reading in the manuscript marked ga.

54.17.p3

2 "Thirty-two and a half sixteenths" is the reading in the three manuscripts marked ga, gha, and ṅa.

54.17.p4

3 "Twenty by three times the attributes" is the reading in the manuscript marked gha.

54.17.p5

4 "An excellent forest liṅga is produced" is the reading in the manuscripts marked ga and gha. "A movable liṅga is certainly produced" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha. / [Page 153]

54.18

Thus there should be nine cords, and the middling [measure] is with five cords; / with intervals of two, progressively to the left, the length of the liṅgas is ninefold.

54.19

It increases from a cubit by a cubit until there are nine cubits. / The liṅga is threefold—inferior, middling, and superior—each being threefold.

54.20

Within each single liṅga, a wise man should fashion three liṅgas / quarter by quarter, among the one hundred and eight.

54.21

Derived from the stationary and long measurement, consisting of cubits of the door and sanctum, / [they are] named Āḍhya, Anāḍhya, Surejya, and Samāna.

54.22

One should characterize the four forms of liṅgas by their diameter. / Having made the liṅga long and endowed with length, one should make it threefold in form.

54.23

Four-sided, eight-sided, and circular, possessing the quality of the three principles: / having determined the desired length of the liṅgas into digits thereby,

54.24

one should divide the product by the deities of the banner and the rest, or by the elements, or by the fires; / whatever remains of those digits, one should discern the auspicious and inauspicious [result].

54.25

Banner and the rest are banner, lion, elephant, and bull; the former are best, the others are auspicious. / Among notes, the ṣaḍja, gāndhāra, and pañcama bestow auspiciousness.

54.26

Among elements, the auspicious one is earth; among fires, the āhavanīya. / In half the part of its stated length, divided successively into eight parts,

54.27

with an excess of six, five, a sixth, and a third part of five, / the four-sidedness belongs to the Āḍhya, Anāḍhya, Surejya, and Arka-equal [liṅgas].

54.28

The fifth is named Vardhamāna, due to an increase in diameter and circumference. / Many twofold distinctions here will be spoken of according to Viśvakarman.

54.29

From the threefold thickness of the Āḍhya and the others, that is discarded as eightfold,

54.29.p1

[...]

54.29.p2

1 "In the interval, on the left and left" is the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa.

54.29.p3

2 "From thickness by an increase of a barley-corn, that is eightfold" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha. / [Page 154]

54.29_2

threefold from the cubit, called Jina, and endowed with equal dimensions in all.

54.30

There are twenty-five liṅgas in the Āḍhya, and likewise in that worshipped by the gods; / united by five and seven, they indeed become [varieties] divided by Jina.

54.31

Fourteen thousand and fourteen hundred; / thus the width is eight digits from a sanctum of nine to one cubit.

54.32

By means of cords situated at their corners and half-corners, one should consider the corners. / Having made the middling width, one should establish the triad from the middle,

54.33

above the division it should be eight-sided, and the Śiva portion sixteen-sided. / Brahmā extends from the foot to the knees; Viṣṇu up to the navel;

54.34

up to the top is the Lord of the elements' portion, in the manifest and unmanifest having that form. / In the system of five liṅgas, the head is said to be circular,

54.35

resembling an umbrella, or resembling a cock's egg, or having the shape of the crescent moon. / By four divisions for each one, I shall tell the fruit according to various desires.

54.36

One should divide the width of the liṅga's crown into eight parts. / One should divide the first part into four, along width and height.

54.37

There are four cords by dropping division upon division.

54.37.p1

[...]

54.37.p2

1 "And one should worship all of it" is the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa.

54.37.p3

2 "In the Āḍhya worshipped by the gods" is the reading in the manuscripts marked kha and ga.

54.37.p4

3 "Thus is the arrangement of eight digits" is the reading in the manuscripts marked ga and gha.

54.37.p5

4 "One should cut the corners" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha. "One should cut the chambers" is the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa.

54.37.p6

5 "Above two parts it is eight-sided" is the reading in the manuscripts marked kha and ṅa.

54.37.p7

6 "Having the shape of a cucumber [or] crescent moon" is the reading in the manuscripts marked kha, ga, and gha.

54.37.p8

7 "By four parts" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha.

54.37.p9

8 "The last part" is the reading in the manuscripts marked ga and gha.

54.37.p10

9 "There are four umbrellas" is the reading in the four manuscripts marked ga, gha, and ṅa. / [Page 155]

54.37_2

The lotus [head is made] by one part, while that called wide is made by cutting away.

54.38

From paring three [parts] comes the śrīvatsa; by cutting away four, it creates enemies. / The head is best when all is equal; in the divine type, it resembles a cock's egg.

54.39

In a liṅga consisting of four parts, the trapusa is made by paring away two. / This head of the Anāḍhya has been described; hear about the crescent moon head.

54.40

From the part at the end, by four parts, but with the loss of one [part] each day, [it is called] an amṛtākṣaka; / with the loss of two, three, or four parts successively, [it is called] pūrṇabālendu and kumuda.

54.41

Hear now of the mukhaliṅga having four, three, or one face. / The portion for worship should be made, measured as three parts of the image.

54.42

Having omitted twelve parts as before, one should shape six sections: / the elevation of the head should be made, then the forehead, the nose,

54.43

the mouth, the chin, and the neck, with four parts, arms, and eyes. / Forming a bud with both hands, according to the measure of the image,

54.44

equal for each face, it should be made from one-eighth of the width. / The four-faced [liṅga] has been described by me; now hear of the three-faced [which] is declared:

54.45

His forehead and other [features] should be indicated as increased by a fourth of the ear. / The two arms are to be made with four parts, elevated in the west.

54.46

The projection of the faces is by an eighth part of the width. / Likewise, a single-faced [liṅga] should be made with gentle eyes in the east.

54.47

And one should shape [the head] in the forehead, nose, face, and neck;

54.47.p1

[Notes]

54.47.p2

1. "kukkuṭāṇḍaṃ sudhādvaye" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha.

54.47.p3

2. "dvaikahānyā sutāhvayam" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha.

54.47.p4

3. "ṛtvagnipadakalpitam" is the reading in the manuscript marked kha; "mukhabhāgaṃ prakartavyaṃ mūlāgnipadakalpitam" is the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa.