Aguru

Aguru · aguru, “fragrant wood, aloeswood”

Grammar: noun; also written agaru.

Meaning: a fragrant wood burned as dhūpa and used as a perfume in pūjā.

In the scriptures: The Brahma Parva gives aguru to the pūjā of its deities. One who worships Guha with candana, aguru and karpūra gains command of an army (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 46). Aguru dhūpa marks the second pāraṇa of a rite (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 47). Bhagavān Vishṇu worships Sūrya in the form of the cakra with agaru dhūpa (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 68). Dhūpa of camphor and agaru gives the fruit of the rājasūya (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 93), and Bhāskara is honoured with it (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 136). The Madhyama Parva says that in the Kaliyuga, lacking candana, agaru and the like, a clay mūrti is made (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 1, Chapter 12), and that fire whose fragrance is like candana and agaru is beneficial (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 1, Chapters 13–15). Mahādeva’s Vijaya Dhūpa holds agaru, with candana, śarkarā, karpūra and other things (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 68), and so does the Mahāṅga dhūpa (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 105). One who anoints Bhagavān Sūrya with sandal, agaru and kuṅkuma, mixed with camphor and musk, sports happily in Śivaloka for a hundred koṭi years (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 93), and to those who anoint him with these in bhakti he gives Lakshmī (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 115). One given to fasting worships the deva with aguru, sandal and dhūpa, on the way out of saṃsāra (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 103). In the year-long Trayodaśī vrata of the Uttara Parva, agaru is the prāśana of Bhādrapada, when Bhagavān Śiva is named Sadyojāta (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 90). In the ghṛta-dhenu dāna the horns of the cow are of agaru wood (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 154).

Related terms: Dhūpa · Candana · Karpūra · Pūjā

Sources

  • Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 46, 47, 68, 93, 103, 105, 115, 136; Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 1, Chapters 12–15; Uttara Parva, Chapters 90, 154