Agni Purana

इयं संवत्सरी पूजा तवास्तु वेदवित्पते। सांवत्सरीमिमां पूजां सम्पाद्य विधिवन्मम

With garlands of pearls and coral, with Mandara flowers and the like, may this annual worship be yours, O knower of the Veda.

ब्रज पवित्रकेदानीं स्वर्गलोकं विसर्ज्जितः। सूर्य्यदेव नमस्तुभ्यं गृह्णीष्वेदं पवित्रकम्

Having performed this annual worship according to my instruction, now go, released, to the heavenly world, O Pavitra.

पवित्रीकरणार्थय वर्षपूजाफलप्रदम्। शिवदेव नमस्तुभ्यं गृह्णोष्वेदं पवित्रकम्

O Sun god, I bow to you; accept this Pavitra, for the purpose of sanctification, bestower of the fruits of annual worship.

पवित्रीकरणार्थाय वर्षपूजाफलप्रदम्। वाणेश्वर नस्तुभ्यं गृह्लीष्वेदं पवित्रकम्

O Shiva, I bow to you; accept this Pavitra, for the purpose of sanctification, bestower of the fruits of annual worship.

पवित्रीकरणार्थय वर्षपूजाफलप्रदम्। शक्तिदेवि नमस्तुभ्यं गृह्णीषवेदं पवित्रकम्

O Lord of Speech, I bow to you; accept this Pavitra, for the purpose of sanctification, bestower of the fruits of annual worship.

पवित्रीकरणार्थय वर्षपूजाफलप्रदम्। नारायणमयं सूत्रमनिरुद्धणमयं वरम्

O Lord of Power, I bow to you; accept this Pavitra, for the purpose of sanctification, bestower of the fruits of annual worship.

धनधान्यायुरारोग्यप्रदं सम्प्रददामि ते। कामदेवमयं सूत्रं सङ्कर्षणमयं वरम्

This thread made of Narayana, the excellent one made of Aniruddha, bestowing wealth, grain, long life, and health—I give to you.

विद्यासन्ततिसौभाग्यप्रदं सम्प्रददामि ते। वासुदेवमयं सूत्रं धर्म्मकामार्थमोक्षदम्

The thread made of Kamadeva, the excellent one made of Sankarshana, bestowing knowledge, progeny, and good fortune—I give to you.

संसारसागरोत्तारकारणं प्रददामि ते। विश्वरूपमयं सूत्रं सर्व्वदं पापनाशनम्

The thread made of Vasudeva, bestowing righteousness, desire, wealth, and liberation, the cause of crossing the ocean of worldly existence—I give to you.

अतीतानागतकुलसमुद्दारं ददामि ते। कनिष्ठादीनि चत्वारि मनुभिस्तु क्रमाद्ददे

The thread made of the Universal Form, bestower of all, destroyer of sin, uplifting past and future lineages—I give to you.

अग्निरुवाच वासुदेवाद्यालयस्य कृतौ वक्ष्ये फलादिकम्। चिकीर्षोर्द्देवधामादि सहस्नजनिपापनुत्

Agni said: I will now describe the results and more of constructing a temple for Vāsudeva and others, which removes the sins of a thousand births for one who desires to create a divine abode.

मनसा सद्मकर्त़णां शतजन्माघनाशनम्। येनुमोदन्ति कृष्णस्य क्रियमाणं नरा गृहम्

For those who, with their mind, build a house for Kṛṣṇa, it destroys the sins of a hundred births; people rejoice when a house is made for Kṛṣṇa.

तेपि पापैर्व्विनिर्मुक्ताः प्रयान्त्यच्युतलोकताम्। समतीतं भविष्यञ्च कुलानामयुतं नरः

They too, freed from sins, attain the world of Acyuta; a man leads tens of thousands of past and future family members.

विष्णुलोकं नयत्याशु कारयित्वा हरेर्गृहम्। वसन्ति पितरो दृष्ट्वा विष्णुलोके ह्यलङ्‌कृताः

After building a house for Hari, he quickly leads them to Viṣṇu's world; the ancestors, adorned, dwell in Viṣṇu's realm after seeing it.

विमुक्ता नारकैर्दुः खैः कर्त्तुः कृष्णस्य मन्दिरम्। ब्रह्महत्यादिपापौघघातकं देवतालयम्

Freed from the sufferings of hell, the builder of Kṛṣṇa's temple—this abode of the gods—destroys the mass of sins such as brahminicide.

फलं यन्नाप्यते यज्ञैर्द्धाम कृत्वा तदाप्यते। देवागारे कृते सर्व्वतीर्थस्नानफलं लभेत्

The fruit gained by sacrifices is obtained by building a temple; by constructing a temple for the gods, one attains the fruit of bathing in all sacred waters.

देवाद्यर्थे हतानाञ्च रणे यत्तत्‌फलादिकम्। शाठ्येन पांशुना वापि कृतं धाम च नाकदम्

Whatever results come to those slain in battle for the sake of the gods and others, that same result is gained even if the temple is built deceitfully or with mere sand.

एकायतनकृत् स्वर्गी त्र्यगारी ब्रह्मलोकभाक्। पञ्चागारी शम्भुलोकमष्टागाराद्धरौ स्थितिः

He who builds one temple attains heaven; with three, the world of Brahmā; with five, the world of Śiva; with eight, he abides with Hari.

षोडशालयकारी तु भुक्तिमुक्तिमवाप्नुयात्। कनिष्ठं मध्यमं श्रेष्ठं कारयित्वा हरेर्गृहम्

He who builds sixteen temples attains both enjoyment and liberation; by building a lesser, middle, or excellent house for Hari—

स्वर्गं च वैष्णवं लोकं मोक्षमाप्नोति च क्रमात्। श्रेष्ठमायतनं विष्णोः कृत्वा यद्धनवान् लभेत्

He attains heaven, the world of Viṣṇu, and liberation in order; by building the most excellent temple for Viṣṇu, a wealthy man obtains this.

कनिष्ठेनैव तत् पुण्यं प्राप्नोत्यधनवान्नरः। समुत्पाद्य धनं कृत्वा स्वल्पेनापि सुरालयम्

Even with the least, a man obtains that merit, if he is wealthy; having acquired wealth, even with a little, he should build a temple for the gods.

कारयित्वा हरेः पुण्यं सम्प्राप्नोत्यधिकं वरम्। लक्षेणाथ सहस्नेण शतेनार्द्धेन वा हरेः

By building a temple for Hari, he attains greater merit; whether with a hundred thousand, a thousand, a hundred, or even half, for Hari—

कारयन् भबनं याति यत्रास्ते गरुडध्वजः। बाल्ये तु क्रीडमाना ये पांशुभिर्भवनं हरेः

He who builds a house goes to where Garuḍa-bannered Hari resides; even children, playing, who make a house for Hari with sand—

वासुदेवस्य कुर्व्वन्ति तेपि तल्लोकगामिनः। तीर्थे चायतने पुण्ये सिद्धक्षेत्रे तथाष्टमे

Those who build for Vāsudeva also go to his world; in a holy place, in a temple, in a sacred field, or in an auspicious eighth place—

कर्त्तुरायतन विष्णोर्यथोक्तात् त्रिगुणं फलम्। बन्धूकपुष्पविन्यासैः सुधापङ्केन वैष्णवम्

The builder of Viṣṇu's temple, as described, attains threefold fruit; by decorating a Vaiṣṇava temple with bandhūka flowers and sweet clay—

ये विलिम्पन्ति भवनं ते यान्ति भगवत्‌पुरम्। पतितं पतभानन्तु तथार्द्धपतितं नरः

Those who plaster the house thus go to the city of the Blessed Lord; one who has let it fall, or half-fallen, likewise—

समुद्धत्य हरेर्द्धाम प्राप्नोति द्विगुणं फलम्। पतितस्य तु यः कर्त्ता पतितस्य च रक्षिता

Whoever restores Hari's temple obtains double the merit; the one who repairs what has fallen, and the one who protects what is falling.

विष्णोरायतनस्येह स नरो विष्णुलोकभाक्। इष्टकानिचयस्तिष्ठेद् यावदायतने हरेः

Here, a man who establishes a temple of Viṣṇu attains the world of Viṣṇu, for as long as the arrangement of bricks remains in the temple of Hari.

सकुलस्तस्य वै कर्त्ता विष्णुलोके महीयते। स एव पुण्यवान् पूज्य इह लोके परत्र च

The one who constructs it, along with his family, is honored in the world of Viṣṇu; he alone is virtuous and worthy of reverence in this world and the next.