Shaṭkarman in the Agni Purāṇa

Shaṭkarman · shaṭ-karman, “the six rites”

Shaṭkarman means “six rites”. It is the way the Āgamas and Tantras (ritual scriptures) sort ritual action into six basic kinds, each aimed at a particular result in the world. The Agni Purāṇa sets them out in chapter 138, as part of the group of chapters called the Yuddhajayārṇava. They are: śānti (bringing peace), vaśya (bringing others under one’s influence), stambhana (making still), vidvesha (causing enmity), uccāṭa (driving away) and māraṇa (destruction).

These six range from wholly kind to destructive. The tradition is clear that the harmful ones may be used only in rare cases where there is just cause, and only by people who have been properly initiated in the relevant śāstra (body of sacred teaching).

The Agni Purāṇa places the Shaṭkarman in a chapter belonging to the Yuddhajayārṇava (“Ocean of Victory in Battle”) group. This shows the setting in which these rites were used most carefully: protecting dharma through military and ritual means. But the tradition reaches beyond war. The shaṭkarman appear throughout the Āgamic, Tantric and Āyurvedic writings as the basic categories of practical ritual.

The Agni Purāṇa returns to these rites in many chapters. In the Yuddhajayārṇava (Chapters 125–142), Parameśvara teaches the Devī the currents of vāyu in the body that serve each rite, the ending each mantra takes for each karma, the six ways of writing a mantra together with the name of the one it is aimed at, and the cakra of sixteen oshadhis (sacred plants) for vaśya and the other yogas. Pushkara teaches Paraśurāma the homas for abhicāra (hostile rites) taught from the Vedas (Chapters 259–262). Agnideva gives the Saṅgrāma-vijaya mantra of Sūrya, the Cāmuṇḍā mantra for vaśīkaraṇa, the protecting mantras of Sudarśana and Nārasiṃha, the nigraha and anugraha cakras and the prayogas of stambhana and the rest (Chapters 301–315). Parameśvara teaches Skanda the colour in which Aghora-Śiva is meditated on, and the time, the breath, the element and the japa-mālā that belong to each rite (Chapters 320–327).

The Six Rites

1. Śānti: Bringing Peace

Śānti is the rite of calming, removing obstacles and cancelling harmful forces. It is the one that can be used most widely, and it is wholly kind. Śānti rites are done to:

• Cancel the effect of bad omens (śakunas) and harmful positions of the planets
• Remove the power of an enemy’s mantras or curses aimed at a person or an army
• Calm natural troubles such as drought, epidemic and famine, which are understood to come from the displeasure of the devas or an imbalance in the five elements
• Purify a place or person made impure by aśauca (ritual impurity)
• Counter the harmful effect of grahāveśa (trouble caused by a planet)

The Agni Purāṇa says śānti should be the first step in any crisis, done before any destructive rite is even considered. The śānti homa (fire offering) usually uses white sesame (tila), ghee and kuśa grass, with the recitation of the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra or the particular mantra of the troubling graha (planet). Water made holy through śānti-japa (repetition of the mantra) is sprinkled over the troubled person or place.

2. Vaśya: Bringing Under Influence

Vaśya is the rite of attracting others, bringing them under one’s control and winning their loyalty or affection. Depending on how strongly it is done, it ranges from a gentle pull to force. It is used for:

• Winning the favour of a king, a superior or someone in authority
• Attracting a suitable husband or wife, or bringing harmony back into a marriage
• Winning the loyalty of doubtful allies or neutral parties in matters of state
• Drawing customers or prosperity to a home or a business
• In war: winning over wavering soldiers or generals in the enemy camp

The vaśya rite uses things that attract, mostly red things such as red sandalwood (raktacandana), red lotus (raktapadma) and red cloth. The mantra is recited over a small image or likeness of the person concerned. Smoke from certain fragrant woods, especially agaru (agarwood), is held to be very powerful for vaśya. The rite is done in the waxing half of the moon (śuklapaksha) and under auspicious nakshatras (lunar mansions).

3. Stambhana: Making Still

Stambhana is the rite of holding still: freezing the movement, speech, thought or action of a person, creature, army or force of nature. The word means “making a pillar (stambha)” of the target, fixing it in place. It is used for:

• Freezing an enemy warrior or general at a key moment in battle
• Holding a fleeing criminal or enemy in place
• Stopping the spread of an epidemic or a fire
• Freezing a poisonous creature that threatens harm
• Holding back rain during a campaign, if too much rain is hindering one’s own army

Stambhana rites use things linked with stillness and cold: a paste of śamī wood or earth from an anthill, yellow mustard seed (sarshapa), and particular preparations of roots. The mantra is sent through a pointed stick (śalākā) toward the direction of the target. The rite is done under the fixed (sthira) nakshatras and on days ruled by Śani (Saturn).

4. Vidvesha: Causing Enmity

Vidvesha is the rite of sowing quarrels, mistrust and conflict between particular people or groups. It is one of the rites that raises the hardest moral questions. The Āgamic tradition strictly limits its proper use to cases where separating two parties will prevent a greater harm, such as breaking up a plot among enemies of dharma. It is used for:

• Sowing mistrust between an enemy king and his chief commanders
• Breaking an alliance between two hostile kingdoms before they can join in an attack
• Separating a wicked person from the allies who would otherwise help him do wrong

Vidvesha rites use things that separate, or of a sharp nature: black mustard, charcoal, the bark of the bitter nimba (neem) tree, red chili and iron filings. The rite is usually done at a crossroads (catushpatha) at midnight. The vidvesha mantra is recited while two small figures of wax or clay are made and then pulled apart.

5. Uccāṭa: Driving Away

Uccāṭa (also called uccāṭana) is the rite of driving away, uprooting and expelling: removing a person, a being or a harmful force from a place. The name comes from ucca (up, out) and āṭana (driving). Stambhana freezes; uccāṭa drives away. It is used for:

• Driving an enemy king or army out of a fort without a direct attack
• Expelling a harmful spirit (bhūta or piśāca) from a haunted place
• Driving away a person whose presence is harming a household or a community
• Removing an obstacle, such as a powerful enemy, a rival or a blocking force, by making it leave

Uccāṭa rites use things with an upward or expelling force: ugragandhā (sharp-smelling) substances, bilva (bael) wood for the homa, and directions linked with scattering. The mantra is recited while the homa offerings are thrown outward instead of into the fire. This is a deliberate reversal of the normal inward direction of offering.

6. Māraṇa: Destruction

Māraṇa is the most severe of the six: the rite of causing death or destruction that cannot be undone. The Āgamic tradition is completely clear that māraṇa is the very last resort. It must never be used except in the most extreme case, where every other means has failed and the target is an enemy of dharma: a tyrant, a destroyer of sacred traditions, or an attacker beyond reform who has refused every settlement again and again. The Agni Purāṇa says that māraṇa done without just cause turns back on the one who performs it, with fatal results.

The rite uses the strongest substances: ash from a cremation ground (śmaśāna-bhasma), black sesame, uḍḍīna-mūla (certain poisonous roots) and materials taken from the body of a dead animal or human. The homa is done in the śmaśāna (cremation ground) itself, at midnight on the new moon (amāvāsyā). The devatā called upon is Bhairava, or Kālī in her fiercest form. The Agni Purāṇa adds that even the rightful use of māraṇa creates karma that must be cleansed through prāyaścitta (atonement). It advises that a king who allows it should afterwards perform the Mahāśānti rite to purify his kingdom.

How the Six Fit Together

The Shaṭkarman is an ordered way of joining mantra, substance, time and intention. In the wider Āgamic view, every ritual act falls into one of these six kinds, and mastering the shaṭkarman means mastering the whole of practical Tantra. Each of the six is linked with particular devatās (divine powers):

The one who performs these rites must be an initiated sādhaka (dīkshita, one who has received dīkshā). The rites must be done strictly within the set rules of purity, timing and mantra. Any departure from them is said to make the rite useless or to turn it back on the performer.

The Six Karmas in Chapter 138

Chapter 138 of the Agni Purāṇa is titled “Now the six karmas” (shaṭ-karmāṇi), and its closing words call it the exposition of the six karmas in the Yuddhajayārṇava. Parameśvara speaks: “I tell of the six karmas for the sādhya-forms of all mantras (the forms by which a mantra brings about its aim); listen.” The six karmas are śānti (pacifying), vaśya (bringing under control), stambhana (making motionless), dvesha (causing enmity), uccāṭana (driving away) and māraṇa (killing).

The six ways of writing the mantra and the name

In all these karmas there are six sampradāyas or vinyāsas (arrangements) for writing the mantra together with the name of the sādhya, the one the rite is aimed at:

1. Pallava: the name of the one to be driven away is written on bhūrja-patra (birch bark) or the like, and the uccāṭana mantra is written after it. It is the prayoga for the uccāṭana of those of the high class.
2. Yoga: first the mantra, then the name of the sādhya, then the mantra again. It is used to destroy the enemy’s whole kula (family line).
3. Rodhaka: the mantra, the name, the mantra, the name, and the mantra again. It is used in “granthana and the like”.
4. Sampuṭa: the name is written above, below, on the right and left sides and in the middle of the mantra. It is used for vaśya and ākarshaṇa (drawing near).
5. Grathana: one letter of the mantra, then one letter of the name, then the second letter of the mantra, then the second letter of the name, and so on to the end. It is used for ākarshaṇa and vaśīkaraṇa.
6. Vidarbha: two letters of the mantra, then one letter of the name, and so on to the end. It is used for vaśīkaraṇa and ākarshaṇa.

The season and the endings

The anushṭhāna (regular practice) of the mantras of ākarshaṇa and the like is done in vasanta (spring). In the karmas that remove tāpa-jvara (burning fever), and in vaśīkaraṇa and ākarshaṇa, the ending “svāhā” is auspicious. In śānti and vṛddhi (increase), “namaḥ” is used. In paushṭika (nourishing) karma and in vaśīkaraṇa, “vashaṭ” is used; in lābha (gain) and the like, and in mantra-dīkshā, the vashaṭkāra alone gives siddhi.

The ācārya as Yama

The sādhaka regards the ācārya who gave him the mantra-dīkshā as Yama, and prays: “O Yama Prabhu! You are Yamadharmarāja, Kālarūpa (the form of Time), Dharmarāja. Swiftly destroy this enemy whom I offer to you.” The ācārya, the destroyer of enemies, answers with a pleased mind: “Sādhaka! May you succeed. I shall strive to slay the enemy.” By the pūjā of Yamadharmarāja on a white lotus and by homa, this prayoga bears fruit.

Bhairava, Kuleśvarī, Durgā and the Bhairavī mantra

The sādhaka meditates on himself as Bhairava, and on Kuleśvarī as present within himself. By this he comes to know, at night, his own affairs and the affairs of the enemy. By the pūjā of Devī Durgā with the mantra “durge durge rakshiṇi”, he becomes able to destroy enemies. By japa of the Bhairavī mantra “ha sa sha ma la va ra yuṃ”, he brings about the destruction of enemies.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 138

Mantra Endings and the Currents of Vāyu (Chapters 125 and 132)

Chapter 125 belongs to the Yuddhajayārṇava (“the various cakras in the Yuddhajayārṇava”). Parameśvara speaks to the Devī.

The Karṇamoṭī mahāvidyā

Parameśvara gives the mantra of the Karṇamoṭī mahāvidyā, which addresses the Devī as Karṇamoṭanī, “she of many forms” (bahurūpā) and “she of many tusks” (bahudaṃshṭrā), and says “grasa grasa”, “devour, devour”. It is a śakti that gives protection. On merely reciting it a man is filled with fierce power and his eyes turn red. It is used in māraṇa, pātana (felling), mohana (bewildering) and uccāṭana.

The cakras of vāyu in the body

Parameśvara teaches the places of vāyu (the breath) in the body, with svarodaya (the rise of the breath in the nostrils), and the rites done with each:

• Māruta-cakra: the vāyu that moves from the heart to the navel. A sādhaka who does japa and homa uses it for uccāṭana and other acts in battle.
• With the vāyu that lies from the ears to the eyes, one does prabhedana (splitting apart).
• With the vāyu from the heart to the anus, called the Vāyu-cakra, one causes fever (jvara), burning (dāha) and the death of the enemy.
• Rasa-cakra: the vāyu from the heart to the throat. Śānti is done with it, and its guṇa is pushṭi (nourishment). Eleven śaktis dwell in the Rasa-cakra: Saumyā, Bhīshaṇī, Devī, Jayā, Vijayā, Ajitā, Aparājitā, Mahākoṭī, Mahāraudrī, Śushkakāyā and Prāṇaharā.
• Tejaś-cakra: the vāyu from the eyebrows to the nose, called divya. Its guṇa is gandha (smell). Stambhana and ākarshaṇa are done with it, and the sādhaka who fixes his mind on the tip of the nose does stambhana and kīlana (pinning fast) without doubt. The śaktis that do uccāṭana are in the Tejaś-cakra.

The six jātis of mantra endings

First one does homa and gains mantra-siddhi. Then the mantra takes its ending according to the rite:

“In this way six jātis (kinds) arose among mantras.”

The eight vargas of letters

The letters fall into eight vargas: a, ka, ca, ṭa, ta, pa, ya and śa. Their grahas in order are the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Rāhu, and their birds are the gṛdhra (vulture), ulūka (owl), śyena (hawk), piṅgala, kauśika (owl), sārasa (crane), mayūra (peacock) and goraṅku. Chapter 132 gives the beings who are lords of the vargas: the devatās of the a-varga (a i u e o), the daityas of the ka-varga, the pannagas (serpents) of the ca-varga, the gandharvas of the ṭa-varga, the ṛshis of the ta-varga, the rākshasas of the pa-varga, the piśācas of the ya-varga (ya ra la va), and human beings of the śa-varga (śa sha sa ha).

Stambhana of the enemy’s weapons

An image of an elephant, complete in all its limbs, is made; an image of the enemy is placed under its foot, and the stambhana rite is done. Or, on the top of a mountain with a single tree, under that tree, or at a place struck by lightning, an image of a woman is made from anthill clay, and that clay image of the Devī is worshipped with the mantra oṃ namo mahābhairavāya vikṛta-daṃshṭrogra-rūpāya piṅgalākshāya triśūla-khaḍga-dharāya vaushaṭ (“oṃ, namaḥ to Mahābhairava, of fierce form with terrible tusks, tawny-eyed, bearer of the triśūla and the sword, vaushaṭ”). Then all the weapons of the enemy are made motionless.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 125, 132

The Bhaṅga-vidyā (Chapter 133)

Parameśvara teaches a means of destroying an enemy from afar by the mantra alone. Caru (a cooked offering) is offered to the Mātṛkās, and with śmaśāna-bhasma (ash of the cremation ground), mālatī flowers, cāmarī and the root of the cotton plant, the enemy is addressed from far away with the mantra “oṃ āhe huṃ phaṭ”. By japa of this Bhaṅga-vidyā, by sounding it from afar, and by wearing a tilaka of the juice of aparājitā and dhattūra mixed together, enemies perish.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 133

The Cakra of Sixteen Oshadhis (Chapters 140 and 142)

Chapter 140 is titled “Now the yogas for vaśya and the rest”, and belongs to the same Yuddhajayārṇava. Parameśvara says: “Now I tell the vaśīkaraṇa and other yogas.” The names of sixteen oshadhis are written in a cakra of sixteen koshṭhas (squares):

1. Bhṛṅgarāja
2. Sahadevī
3. Mayūraśikhā
4. the bark of the Putrajīvaka tree
5. Adhaḥpushpā
6. Rudradantikā
7. Kumārī
8. Rudrajaṭā
9. Vishṇukrāntā
10. Śvetārka
11. Lajjālukā
12. Mohalatā
13. Kṛshṇa-dhattūra
14. Gorakshakarkaṭī
15. Meshaśṛṅgī
16. Snuhī

Their portions (bhāgas), in pradakshiṇa (clockwise) order, are given by the numbers 16, 11, 8, 10, 6, 4, 9, 6, 12, 1, 15.

How the oshadhis are used

• The first four are powdered and used as dhūpa (fumigation), or ground with water into a paste for the limbs. Ground and smeared on the body, the four beginning with Bhṛṅgarāja remove the troubles caused by grahas and the like.
• With those numbered 8, 10, 11 and 12 an añjana (collyrium) is made for the eyes.
• One bathes in water mixed with the last four.
• Those numbered 5, 6, 7 and 8 are ground and used as anulepana (unguent).
• Adhaḥpushpā is worn on the right side, Lājavantī and the others on the left, Mayūraśikhā on the feet and Ghṛtakumārī on the head.
• The dhūpa of Rudrajaṭā, Gorakshakarkaṭī and Meshaśṛṅgī serves in all works.
• Those beginning with Lajjālukā serve for añjana, those beginning with Śvetārka for bathing, those beginning with Ghṛtakumārī for eating, and those beginning with Putrajīvaka, mixed with water, for drinking.

One who grinds these into a paste and smears it on his body is honoured even by the devas.

The yogas and their fruits

• A tilaka of the oshadhis numbered 16, 4, 8 and 2 is sakala-loka-mohana: it enchants all people.
• Gorakshakarkaṭī, Kṛshṇa-dhattūra, Putrajīvaka and Adhaḥpushpā, smeared on one’s own body: a woman comes under one’s control.
• Guṭikās (pills) of Snuhī, Aparājitā, Lājavaṃśī and Śvetārka, mixed into the food and drink of the one to be won, bring people under control.
• Bhṛṅgarāja, Mohalatā, Putrajīvaka and Adhaḥpushpā, held in the mouth: the astras and śastras (weapons) of enemies are made motionless.
• Adhaḥpushpā, Rudradantī, Lājavantī and Mohalatā, smeared on the body: one can dwell in water.
• A vaṭī (pill) of Śvetārka, Putrajīvaka, Rudradantī and Kumārī removes hunger, thirst and the like.
• A lepa (paste) of Sahadevī, Bhṛṅgarāja, Aparājitā and Śvetārka makes a woman unfortunate in love (durbhagā) beloved and fortunate (subhagā).
• Kṛshṇa-dhattūra, Putrajīvaka, Vishṇukrāntā and Sahadevī, smeared on the body: one can play with serpents.
• A lepa of Kṛshṇa-dhattūra, Putrajīvaka, Ghṛtakumārī and Mayūraśikhā gives a woman easy childbirth.
• A lepa on one’s cloth of Adhaḥpushpā, Aparājitā, Adhaḥpushpā and Mohalatā gives victory at dyūta (the game of dice).
• Kṛshṇa-dhattūra, Putrajīvaka, Adhaḥpushpā and Rudradantikā, smeared before union: a son is born.
• A vaṭī of Mohalatā, Adhaḥpushpā, Gorakshakarkaṭī and Kṛshṇa-dhattūra is sarva-vaśaṅkara: it brings all under control.

“Thus the power of the oshadhis set in the sixteen padas has been described.”

In Chapter 142, among the means of making the limbs firm, the oshadhi Śarapuṅkhikā is uprooted in Pushya nakshatra, japa of the Aparājitā mantra is done over it, and it is worn on the neck or the arm, so that one does not become the target of enemy arrows. The oshadhis Aparājitā and Pāṭhā, worn in the same way, let one escape the blows of the sword.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 140, 142

The Abhicāra Homa (Chapters 164–170 and 259–262)

One who intends to begin an abhicāra rite (a rite against an enemy), like one who desires prosperity, peace, rain, long life or strength, first begins the pūjā of the grahas (Chapter 164).

When abhicāra homas are done out of dvesha (hostility), the kuṇḍa (fire pit) is triangular. The samidhs (sticks of fuel), together with the bones of a hawk, are offered with the left hand. Those who do this homa, wishing ill to the enemy, wear red ornaments, let their hair loose, and offer while reciting the mantra “durmitrās tasmai santu yo ‘smān dveshṭi huṃ phaṭ” (“may they be hostile to him who hates us, huṃ phaṭ”). The image is cut with a razor, and a figure of the enemy made of flour is cut and offered into the fire. The text, as printed, closes: “One who does this attains svarga” (Chapter 167).

The rite has its bounds. A brāhmaṇa who has used abhicāra against good people performs three prājāpatya vratas as prāyaścitta (Chapter 170). And the Apāmārjana stotra asks Bhagavān Vishṇu to destroy the abhicāra rites done by those who wish harm to others (Chapter 31).

In the vidhāna of the Vedas that Pushkara taught Paraśurāma:

• In abhicāra prayoga one offers in homa thorny samidhs, rājikā (black mustard), blood and poison (Chapter 259, the Ṛgvidhāna).
• In vaśīkaraṇa, homa is done with samidhs of śākoṭa, vacā and apāmārga; in vidveshaṇa, in a fire set up by the method of Pratyaṅgirā, with chaff and thorns, ash, and the feathers of crows and owls (Chapter 260, the Yajurvidhāna).
• For victory in battle, figures of elephants, horses and men are made of flour and set up as the chief warriors of the enemy side; the wet flour figures are cut into pieces, soaked in mustard oil and offered with fierce resolve in homa (Chapter 261, the Sāmavidhāna).
• Oil, rājikā, blood, poison and thorny samidhs are the materials for abhicāra; the samidhs of yajña trees, ghṛta, grain, white mustard, akshata, tila, curd, milk, kuśa and bilva are the materials for śānti and pushṭi (Chapter 262, the Atharvavidhāna).

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 31, 164, 167, 170, 259–262

Sūrya, Cāmuṇḍā and the Vaśīkaraṇa Yogas (Chapters 301–302)

In Chapter 301 Agnideva teaches the Saṅgrāma-vijaya mantra, the mantra of Sūrya for victory in battle. With it, showing the mudrās, the sādhaka invokes Sūrya from head to feet and worships him; having done aṅga-nyāsa, he contemplates: “I myself am Ravi.” In each rite Sūrya is meditated on in a different colour: in māraṇa and stambhana, yellow; in āpyāyana (nourishing), white; in destroying enemies, black; in mohana, in the form of a bow. One ever devoted to the abhisheka, japa, dhyāna, pūjā and homa of Sūrya becomes radiant, unconquerable and prosperous, and wins victory in battle. When this mantra-nyāsa is done over tāmbūla (betel) with uśīra (vetiver) in it, and the bīja of the Saṅgrāma-vijaya mantra is written on one’s own hand, whoever receives that tāmbūla, or is touched by that hand, comes under one’s sway.

In Chapter 302 Agnideva gives the Cāmuṇḍā vaśīkaraṇa mantra: oṃ hrīṃ cāmuṇḍe amukaṃ daha daha paca paca mama vaśam ānaya svāhā oṃ, “Oṃ hrīṃ, O Cāmuṇḍā, burn, burn, cook, cook so-and-so; bring him under my control, svāhā, oṃ.” With it he gives the preparations used at the time of this prayoga:

• A woman washes with cool triphalā water; aśvagandhā, yava-kshāra, haridrā (turmeric) and karpūra (camphor) may also be used.
• A lepa of eight pippalī, rice, twenty peppercorns and the juice of bṛhatī brings one under control till death; a lepa of kaṭina, trikaṭu and honey serves the same end.
• Hima, the juice of kapittha, māgadhī and honey are good for husband and wife; the juice of kabandha with sugar and honey, used as a lepa, gives vaśīkaraṇa.
• The powder of Sahadevī, Mahālakshmī, Putrajīvī and Kṛtāñjali placed on the head is an excellent means of vaśīkaraṇa.
• A preparation of triphalā, candana, bhṛṅga, turmeric, honey, jaṭāmāṃsī and sugar, taken daily with milk, gives a man great vigour: he can unite with a hundred women.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 301–302

Protective Counter-Mantras in the Agni Purāṇa

Nivāraṇa Mantras: Undoing Harmful Rites (Chapter 306)

Chapter 306, titled “Shaṭprayoga-tannivāraṇa”, gives counter-mantras made to turn aside (nivāraṇa) each of the harmful rites when they have been aimed at someone. Agni-deva lists the harmful abhicāra rites (rites done against another person): stambhana, vidveshaṇa, uccāṭana, utsādana, bhramaṇa, maraṇa and vyādhi. That makes seven kinds of harmful action; this list goes beyond the usual six by counting vyādhi (causing illness) as a separate kind. The counter-methods include:

Against maraṇa and uccāṭana: The root mantra, from “Oṃ namo Bhagavate” through to “Ṭhaṭha” (the closing bīja, or seed-syllable), is recited three lakh (300,000) times in a cremation ground at night. This is followed by a homa in the fire of a funeral pyre using dhūrta-samidhs (sticks of the dhatura plant). This sends the enemy’s rite back on the sender and breaks its hold on the victim.

Against a māraṇa rite using an image: Sometimes the performer makes an image of the victim in gold (hema-pratimā) and pierces it with a needle at the throat or heart. The counter-mantra, recited with aṅga-nyāsa (placing the mantra on the limbs) over the Sudarśana form of Bhagavān Vishṇu, cancels the rite completely.

Against uccāṭana: Sometimes cremation ash (citābhasma), brāhmaṇī-daṇḍī and varkati are burned and the ash is scattered on the victim’s house or head. The same Sudarśana mantra, recited with full aṅga-nyāsa, removes the effect.

The Sudarśana counter-mantra is the main protective tool of this chapter: “Sahasrāra Huṃ Phaṭ”. It is built from Bhṛgu (sa), Ākāśa (ha) and Dīpta (with ī-kāra and ra), together with Sahasrāra and the bījas huṃ and phaṭ. Its aṅga-nyāsa is: “Acakrāya svāhā” (heart), “Vicakrāya” (head), “Śikhācakrāya” (armour), “Vicakrāya” (eyes), “Sucakrāya” (weapon), and “Jvālācakrāya” (before the nyāsa of the directions). Recited with this nyāsa, the Sudarśana mantra removes the effects of every harmful rite and all graha-pīḍā (trouble from the planets), and fulfils every heartfelt wish (manoratha).

The dhyāna (meditation image) of Sudarśana for this protective pūjā: he is pictured seated in a lotus shaped like a wheel, blazing like fire, with fangs, and with four arms holding the śaṅkha (conch), cakra (discus), gadā (mace), padma (lotus), śalākā (rod) and aṅkuśa (goad). His hair and eyes are tawny (piṅgala). The three worlds are filled by his spokes, and the hub of the wheel is filled with fire. The colours of the wheel are: hub, yellow; spokes, red; the middle zone of the spokes, dark (śyāma); rim, white; outer edge, a black earth line. The letters of the alphabet beginning with “a” fill the middle zone of the spokes.

The Agni Purāṇa also names the pāśa (noose) among the things he holds. The six syllables of the Sudarśana mantra are placed in order on the head, the eyes, the mouth, the heart, the guhya and the feet. Meditated on in this form of the cakra, Bhagavān Vishṇu destroys diseases and grahas.

The Agni Purāṇa gives the three prayogas of the mūla mantra in this way. After three lakh japa of the mantra from “Oṃ namo bhagavate” to “ṭhaṭha” at night in the cremation ground, and homa with dhattūra samidhs in the fire of the pyre, the enemy always turns back and is bewildered (bhrānta). When an image of the enemy is pierced at the throat or the heart with a golden needle consecrated with the mantra, the enemy dies. Donkey hair, the ash of the pyre (citā-bhasma), brahma-daṇḍī and markaṭī are burned to ash and consecrated with the same mantra, and the one who does the utsādana-prayoga scatters it on the enemy’s house or head.

The rite with the two cakras. Two cakras are drawn in the colours given above. On the first, a kalaśa of water is set near the sādhaka; on the second, to the south, Sudarśana is worshipped. In the fire, homa is done in order with ājya (ghee), apāmārga samidhs, akshata, tila, mustard, pāyasa and cow’s ghee, with the mūla mantra, a thousand offerings of each. What remains of each offering is put into the kalaśa, with a piṇḍa made of one prastha of cooked rice, and the things to be given to Bhagavān Vishṇu and the other devatās are placed to the south. The bali is offered with the water left after the homa, with the words: “For all śānti, namaskāra to the Vishṇu-janas; may they accept this offering for śānti; namaskāra to them.” Many offerings are placed on a wooden plank, in a kalaśa, or in a vessel of curd made of the wood of a milky tree, and offered in all directions, and dvijas are asked to do homas in the directions. When the two homas are done in this way with dakshiṇā, all bhūtas and the like are destroyed.

The fruits of the homas. Homa with the syllables of the mantra written on leaves smeared with curd destroys minor diseases. Homa with dūrvā grass gives long life; with lotuses, aiśvarya (prosperity and lordship); with udumbara, sons; with ghṛta in the cow-pen, the increase of cows; with samidhs of all trees, the increase of buddhi (understanding).

The Nārasiṃha mantra. The Nārasiṃha mantra, from “oṃ kshauṃ” to “hūṃ phaṭ”, removes all pāpa. By its japa and the rest, minor abhicāras, grahas, māri (pestilence), visha (poison) and āmaya (disease) are removed. Homa with powdered maṇḍūka-vasā (frog fat) brings about jala-stambha and agni-stambha, the stilling of water and of fire.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 306

Trailokya-Mohana Mantras (Chapter 307)

Chapter 307 gives the Trailokya-mohana mantras, the mantras that “enchant the three worlds” and bring them under the influence of the sādhaka. These hold a special place among the shaṭkarman. They are not simply vaśya, which works on single people. They are vaśīkaraṇa (bringing under influence) on a vast scale, acting on whole worlds, forces and groups rather than individuals.

The Trailokya-mohana method uses particular bījas linked with moha-śakti (the power of enchanting all beings), together with the dhyāna of the devatā who presides over this vidyā (sacred knowledge). The chapter describes these uses:

• Winning the favour of whole assemblies, courts and councils: not just one person but everyone present
• Gaining influence with the devas, yakshas and other beings of the higher worlds when their help is needed for purposes in keeping with dharma
• Undoing an enemy’s vaśīkaraṇa that has been done on a group of people

The Trailokya-mohana mantras are said to work best when recited in particular phases of the moon, together with the right state of the nāḍīs (the subtle channels of breath). This is the joined state, when the sūrya and candra nāḍīs (solar and lunar channels) flow together: the vishuva (balance point) of the breath, when all mantras are awake. A homa with fragrant and pleasing substances such as aguru, candana (sandalwood) and kuṅkuma (saffron) increases the power of the Trailokya-mohana rite.

The Cakras and Prayogas of Chapters 313–315

Abhicāra and vaśīkaraṇa with the eight-petalled lotus (Chapter 313)

Agnideva, after the pūjā of Tripurā-Bhairavī, gives an abhicāra prayoga. Standing among a herd of cows, on a cloth from the cremation ground, the sādhaka has an eight-petalled lotus cakra drawn with charcoal from the pyre. He writes the enemy’s name in it and folds it. From the ash of the pyre he makes an image of the enemy and contemplates that the enemy is in it; he wraps the yantra with black thread and pushes it into the belly of the image. Then that person perishes.

In the same chapter, añjana and tilaka worn with the Gaurī mantra “oṃ hrīṃ gauryai namaḥ” give vaśīkaraṇa; by its japa women and men come under one’s sway, and by mere touch people are won over. On the petals of a lotus one writes hrīṃ, the vowels and the consonants beginning with ka, and in the middle the name of the woman one desires; it may also be written on a shaṭkoṇa (six-cornered cakra) or on a kalaśa. Japa done with her in mind gives vaśīkaraṇa.

The nigraha cakra and the anugraha cakra (Chapter 314)

In the chapter on the knowledge of Tvaritā, Agnideva gives two cakras, one of restraint and one of grace.

The nigraha cakra. Ten vertical and ten horizontal lines are drawn, making eighty-one squares. It may be written on cloth, on a vedikā (altar), on bhūrja bark, on a stone slab or on a staff. The name is written in the central square, and in the four squares beside it, beginning from the east, the four bījas bhrūṃ, krūṃ, bhrūṃ, hrūṃ. In the corners beginning from Īśāna (the north-east), the mantra of Kālarātri (Kālī) is written on the inside and the mantra of Yamarāja on the outside. Outside the Yama mantra, “raṃ” is written on the four sides and “yaṃ” below it; this forms the māraṇātmaka nigraha mantra, the nigraha mantra that kills. The ink is of neem sprouts, marrow, blood and poison, with a little pyre charcoal ground in; it is kept in a tawny ink-pot, and the mantra is written with a pen of crow’s feather. The cakra is buried face down in a pit in the cremation ground or at a crossroads, or placed in an anthill, or buried under a branch of the vibhītaka tree. By this all enemies perish.

The anugraha cakra. In the śukla paksha (bright fortnight), on a bhūrja leaf, on the ground or on a wall, the anugraha cakra is written with lac juice, or kuṅkuma, or chalk and sandal. In the central square the person’s name is written between “taṃ” and “ṭhaṃ”; in the eastern row, “jūṃ saḥ vashaṭ”; and the Lakshmī mantra fills the upper four rows and the lower four rows. Outside the cakra the Tvaritā mantra is written once in each direction. The cakra is encircled so that it goes into a kalaśa set over a lotus. One who wears this padma-cakra is freed from death and gains svarga; it also serves for śānti and gives saubhāgya (good fortune).

The prayogas of stambhana and the rest (Chapter 315)

Agnideva says: “Now I shall tell the prayogas of stambhana, mohana, vaśīkaraṇa, vidveshaṇa and uccāṭana, and the prayogas of poison, disease, health, māraṇa and śamana (pacifying).”

• The Kūrma cakra. A tortoise cakra of six aṅgulas is written on a bhūrja leaf: “krīṃ” on its feet, “hrīṃ” on its face, the Tvaritā vidyā in its womb and the name of the sādhya on its back. It is wrapped with the mālā-mantras, placed on a brick, covered, and consecrated with the Karāla mantra in the kūrma-pīṭha. The sādhaka worships Mahākūrma, sprinkles carmodaka towards the enemy, and, remembering the enemy, kicks it seven times with the left foot. Then the enemy’s mouth is stilled (mukha-stambhana).
• The Bhairava yantra. The mūrti of Bhairava is drawn, and around it the mūla mantra from “oṃ śatrumukha” to “svāhā” is written, then “phaṭ” and the purpose of the prayoga; a śūla (trident) is drawn in his right hand. By this enemies are made motionless in battle.
• Mohana. One who does japa of the mūla mantra from “oṃ namo bhagavatyai” to “svāhā” and wears a tilaka of gorocana and the like bewilders the whole world.
• Vaśīkaraṇa. One who wears a tilaka with the mūla mantra from “oṃ pheṃ” to “svāhā” brings kings and others under his sway.
• Vidveshaṇa. Dust trodden by a donkey, flowers thrown on a corpse and a cloth stained with a woman’s monthly blood, scattered at night on the enemy’s bed, cause enmity among his own people.
• Uccāṭana. A cow’s hoof, a horn, a horse’s hoof and a snake’s head, ground together and thrown on the enemy’s house, drive them away.
• Māraṇa. The root of the yellow karavīra serves in māraṇa; a snake, blood, the blood of a muskrat and karavīra seed are means of māraṇa. A dead chameleon, a bee and a scorpion, powdered in oil and smeared on the body, cause kushṭha (a skin disease).
• The Navagraha yantra. The mūla mantra from “oṃ navagrahāya” to “svāhā” is written on a bhūrja leaf or on an image of the navagrahas, worshipped with a hundred arka flowers and buried in the cremation ground: then the grahas destroy the enemy.

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 313–315

Colours, Times, Elements and Mālās (Chapters 320–327)

In the last chapters of this part, Parameśvara teaches Skanda what belongs to each rite.

• The lotus of the maṇḍala. Of the three kinds of lotus drawn in a maṇḍala, bāla (young), yuva (youthful) and vṛddha (old), the vṛddha lotus is used in ārādhana aimed at mukti, and the bāla lotus in vaśīkaraṇa and similar rites (Chapter 320).
• The tilaka of vaśīkaraṇa. A tilaka of rocanā, nāga-kesara, kuṅkuma and manaḥśilā, consecrated with the māyā-bīja “hrīṃ”, brings under control whoever one looks at (Chapter 323).
• The colours of Aghora-Śiva. In the Kalpa-Aghora-Śiva-śānti, Bhagavān Śiva as Aghora is meditated on in a different colour for each rite: white for śāntika and paushṭika, red for vaśīkaraṇa, yellow for stambhana, smoke-grey for uccāṭana and māraṇa, black for ākarshaṇa, and tawny (kapila) for mohana (Chapter 324).
• The times. Śānti rites are done at sunrise; vaśīkaraṇa at the time called bhramita-kāla; dveshaṇa and uccāṭana at bhramita-kāla in the two sandhyās; stambhana at sunset (Chapter 325).
• The breath. When the iḍā nāḍī flows, śāntika rites are done; when the piṅgalā flows, ākarshaṇa rites; in the vishama, the five rites beginning with māraṇa and uccāṭana are done separately (Chapter 325).
• The elements. Pṛthivī (earth) lies below, tejas (fire) above, jala (water) in the middle, vāyu at the openings and the outer sides, and ākāśa within. Stambhana is done in the part of earth, śānti in the part of water, vaśīkaraṇa in the part of fire, bhramaṇa in the part of air, and puṇya-karma (meritorious acts) in ākāśa (Chapter 325).
• The japa-mālās. For māraṇa a mahā-śaṅkha-mālā is used, and for śānti a śaṅkha-mālā of conch beads (Chapter 327).

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 320, 323–325, 327

Sources

• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 31, 125, 132–133, 138, 140, 142, 164, 167, 170, 259–262, 301–302, 306–307, 313–315, 320, 323–325, 327