Agni Purana

अष्टम्याञ्च चतुर्दश्यां तृतीयायां विशेषतः । मृत्युञ्जयार्च्चनं वक्ष्ये पूजयेत् कलसोदरे ।। ३२६.

On the eighth, fourteenth, and especially the third day, I will explain the worship of Mrityunjaya, which should be performed within a pot.

हूयमानञ्च प्रणवो मूर्त्तिरोजस ईदृशं । मूलञ्च वौषडन्तेन कुम्भमुद्रां प्रदर्शयेत् ।। ३२६.

While offering oblations, the syllable Om is recited; the form is thus established. The root mantra ends with 'vauṣaṭ,' and the kumbha mudra should be shown.

होमयेत् क्षीरदूर्वाज्यममृताञ्च पुनर्नवाम् । पायसञ्च पुरोडासमयुतन्तु पजेन्मनुं ।। ३२६.

One should offer milk, sacred grass, ghee, nectar, and punarnava; also rice pudding and sacrificial cakes, reciting the prescribed mantra.

चतुर्मुखं चतुर्वाहुं द्वाभ्याञ्च कलसन्दधत् । वरदाभयकं द्वाभ्यां स्नायाद्वै कुम्भमुद्रया ।। ३२६.

He is four-faced, four-armed, holding two pots; with two hands he grants boons and fearlessness, and should be bathed with the kumbha mudra.

आरोग्यैश्वर्य्यदीर्घायुरौषधं मन्त्रितं शुभम् । अपमृत्युहरो ध्यातः पूजितोऽद्भुत एव सः ।। ३२६.

For health, wealth, and long life, the consecrated medicine is auspicious; meditated upon and worshipped, he is truly a remover of untimely death.

ईश्वर उवाच व्रतेश्वरांश्च सत्यादीनिष्ट्वा व्रतसम्र्पणम्। अरिष्टशमने शस्तमरिष्टं सूत्रनायकम् ।। ३२७.

Ishvara said: Having worshipped the Lords of vows such as Satya, one should dedicate the vow; for the removal of misfortune, the best is the thread-leader for averting calamity.

हेमरत्नमयं भूत्यै महाशङ्खञ्च मारणे । आप्यायने शङ्खसूत्रं मौक्तिकं पूत्रवर्द्धनम् ।। ३२७.

For prosperity, a golden or jeweled one; for destruction, a great conch; for increase, a conch-thread; for the growth of sons, a pearl-thread.

स्फाटिकं भूतिदं कौशं मुक्तिदं रुद्रनेत्रजं । धात्रीफलप्रमाणेन रुद्राक्षँ चोत्तमन्ततः ।। ३२७.

A crystal is life-giving, silk grants liberation, and the Rudrākṣa, born from Rudra’s eye, is supreme when it is the size of an amla fruit.

समेरुं मेरुहीनं वा सूत्रं जप्यन्तु मानसम् । अनामाङ्गुष्ठमाक्रम्य जपं भाष्यन्तु कारयेत् ।। ३२७.

Whether the rosary has a Meru bead or not, one should recite the mantra mentally, moving from the ring finger to the thumb, and speak the japa accordingly.

तर्ज्जन्यङ्गुष्ठमाक्रम्य न मेरुं लङ्घयेज्जपे । प्रमादात् पतिते सूत्रे जप्तव्यन्तु शतद्वयम् ।। ३२७.

Moving from the index finger to the thumb, one must not cross the Meru bead during japa; if the rosary falls out of negligence, one should recite the mantra two hundred times.

सर्ववाद्यमयी घण्टा तस्या वादनमर्थकृत् । गोशकृन्मूत्रवल्मीकमृत्तिकाभस्मवारिभिः ।। ३२७.

A bell made of all kinds of metals is proper; its sounding is purposeful, and it should be purified with cow dung, urine, anthill earth, ashes, and water.

वेस्मायतनलिङ्गादेः कार्य्यमेवं विशोधनम् । स्कन्दो नमः शिवायेति मन्त्रः सर्व्वार्थसाधकः ।। ३२७.

In the case of a house, temple, or liṅga, purification should be done in this way; the mantra 'Skanda, obeisance to Śiva' accomplishes all purposes.

गीतः पञ्चाक्षरो वेदे लोके गीतः षड़क्षरः । ओमित्यन्ते स्थितः शम्भुर्म्मुद्रार्थं वटवीजवत् ।। ३२७.

The five-syllable mantra is sung in the Veda, and the six-syllable one is sung in the world; Śambhu stands at the end as 'Om', like the seed of the banyan for the purpose of the mudrā.

क्रमान्नमः शिवायेति ईशानाद्यानि वै विदुः । षड़क्षरस्य सूत्रस्य भाष्यद्विद्याकदम्बकं ।। ३२७.

In order, 'Obeisance to Śiva' and the mantras beginning with Īśāna are known; the six-syllable sūtra is a cluster of commentary and knowledge.

यदोँनमः शिवायेति एतावत् परमं पदम् । अनेन पूजयेल्लिङ्गं लिङ्गे यस्मात् स्थितः शिवः ।। ३२७.

Indeed, 'Obeisance to Śiva' is the highest state; with this, one should worship the liṅga, for Śiva abides in the liṅga.

अनुग्रहाय लोकानां धर्म्मकामार्थमुक्तिदः । यो न पूजयते लिङ्गन्न स धर्म्मादिभाजनं ।। ३२७.

For the blessing of the worlds, granting dharma, desire, and liberation—he who does not worship the liṅga is not a recipient of dharma and the rest.

लिङ्गार्च्चनाद्भुक्तिमुक्तिर्यावज्जीवमतो यजेत् । वरं प्राणपरित्यागो भुञ्जीतापूज्य नैव तं ।। ३२७.

From worship of the liṅga comes enjoyment and liberation as long as one lives; therefore, one should worship—even giving up life is preferable to not worshipping it.

रुद्रस्य पूजनाद्रुद्रो विष्णुः स्याद्विष्णुपूजनात् । सूर्य्यः स्यात् सूर्य्यपूजातः शक्त्यादिः शक्तिपूजनात् ।। ३२७.

By worshipping Rudra, one becomes Rudra; by worshipping Viṣṇu, one becomes Viṣṇu; by worshipping Sūrya, one becomes Sūrya; by worshipping Śakti and others, one becomes them.

सर्वयज्ञतपोदाने तीर्थे वेदेषु यत् फलं । तत् फलं कोटिगुणितं स्थाप्य लिङ्गं लभेन्नरः ।। ३२७.

Whatever fruit is obtained from all sacrifices, austerities, gifts, holy places, and the Vedas, a man obtains that fruit multiplied a crore times by installing a liṅga.

त्रिसन्ध्यं योर्च्चयेल्लिङ्गं कृत्वा विल्वेन पार्थिवम् । शतैकादशिकं यावत् कुलमुद्‌धृत्य नाकभाक् ।। ३२७.

Whoever worships the liṅga at the three junctions of the day, having made an earthen one with bilva leaves, uplifts his lineage up to one hundred and eleven ancestors to heaven.

भक्त्या वित्तानुसारेण कुर्य्यात् प्रासादसञ्चयम् । अल्पे महति वा तुल्यफलमाढ्यदरिद्रयोः ।। ३२७.

With devotion and according to one’s means, one should construct a temple; whether small or great, the result is the same for the rich and the poor.

भागद्वयञ्च धर्मार्थं कल्पयेज्जीवनाय च । धनस्य भागमेकन्तु अनित्यं जीवितं यतः ।। ३२७.

One should allocate two parts for dharma and artha, and one part for livelihood, for wealth is impermanent, as is life.

त्रिसप्तकुलमुद्‌धृत्य देवागारकृदर्थंभाक् । मृत्कष्ठेष्टकशैलाद्यैः क्रमात् कोटिगुणं फलम् ।। ३२७.

By constructing a temple for the gods, one uplifts twenty-one generations; with clay, wood, bricks, or stone, the result increases a crore-fold in order.

अष्टेष्टकसुरागारकारी स्वर्गमवाप्नुयात् । पांशुना क्रीडमानोपि देवागारकृदर्थभाक् ।। ३२७.

He who builds a temple with eight bricks attains heaven; even one playing with sand, if he builds a temple for the gods, receives the fruit.

अग्निरुवाच छन्दो वक्ष्ये मूलजैस्तैः पिङ्गलोक्तं यथाक्रमम् । सर्व्वादिमध्यान्तगणौ म्लौ द्वौ जौ स्तौ त्रिकौ गणाः ।। ३२८.

Agni said: I will explain the metres, beginning with the roots, as stated by Piṅgala in order: sarva, ādi, madhya, anta, mlau, dvau, jau, stau, trikau—these are the groups of syllables.

ह्रस्वो गुरुर्व्वा पादान्ते पूर्व्वो योगाद्‌ विसर्गतः । अनुस्वाराद्व्यञ्जनात् स्थात् जिह्वामूलीयतस्तथा ।। ३२८.

A short or long syllable at the end of a foot, arising from prior combination or from release, from anusvāra or consonant, is established as being from the root of the tongue.

उपाध्मानीयतो दीर्वो गुरुर्ग्लौ नौ गणाविह । वसवोष्टौ च चत्वारो वेदादित्यादिलोपतः ।। ३२८.

A long syllable produced by blowing, or a heavy syllable, is found in the 'glau' and 'nau' groups; eight Vasus and four are omitted from the Veda, beginning with Aditya.

अग्निरुवाच पाद आपादपूरणे गायत्र्यो वसवः स्मृताः । जगत्या आदित्याः पादो विराजो दिश ईरिताः ।। ३३०.

Agni spoke: The foot is for filling up to the end of the foot; in the Gāyatrī, the Vasus are remembered; in the Jagatī, the Ādityas; the foot of the Virāj is said to be the directions.

विष्णुतो रुद्राः पादः स्याच्छन्द एकादिपादकं । आद्यं चतुष्पाच्चतुर्मिस्त्रिपात् सप्ताक्षरैः क्कचित् ।। ३३०.

For Viṣṇu, the Rudras are the foot; the meter begins with the first foot; the first is four-footed, then four, three-footed, and sometimes seven-syllabled.