This heading introduces a new chapter devoted to mudrā-śāstra, the sacred science of ritual gestures. In Pāñcarātra and Purāṇic traditions, mudrā is not merely a physical hand-position but a symbolic seal that directs prāṇa, awakens mantric power, and encodes metaphysical principles into bodily form. The word lakṣaṇa signals that this chapter will give technical definitions, not vague descriptions—meaning the text will specify how gestures are formed, what they signify, and how they are ritually applied. After laying out mantras, tattvas, nyāsa, and maṇḍala construction in the previous chapter, the Agni Purāṇa now turns to the bodily language of worship, completing the ritual system.
नारद उवाच
मुद्राणां लक्षणं वक्ष्ये सान्निध्यादिप्रकारकम्
अञ्चलिः प्रथमा मुद्रा वन्दनी हृदयानुगा ॥१॥
nārada uvāca
mudrāṇāṃ lakṣaṇaṃ vakṣye sānnidhyādi-prakārakam
añjaliḥ prathamā mudrā vandanī hṛdayānugā || 1 ||
Nārada said: Nārada said: I shall explain the characteristics of the mudrās, which bring about divine presence and related effects. Añjali is the first mudrā. The mudrā called Vandanī, performed near the heart, is (the second).
ऊर्ध्वाङ्गुष्ठो वाममुष्टिर्दक्षिणाङ्गुष्ठबन्धनम्
सव्यस्य तस्य चाङ्गुष्ठो यस्य चोर्ध्वे प्रकीर्तितः ॥२॥
ūrdhvāṅguṣṭho vāma-muṣṭir dakṣiṇāṅguṣṭha-bandhanam
savyasya tasya cāṅguṣṭho yasya cordhve prakīrtitaḥ || 2 ||
With the left hand clenched into a fist and its thumb held erect, and with the right thumb interwoven with that upright left thumb — that is said to be the third (mudrā).
This verse does not define the Añjali mudrā. Instead, it describes the third of the “common” mudrās (तिस्रः साधरणाः) mentioned in the following verse. Añjali itself is already fully identified in verse 1 as the familiar gesture of palms joined in reverence. The present verse introduces a distinct, technical thumb–binding mudrā, in which the left hand is clenched into a fist, the left thumb is erect, and the right thumb is interlocked with it. This configuration symbolizes controlled vitality and containment of active force within devotional restraint. It also represents sealing the sensory will (right thumb) under conscious discipline (left fist and upright thumb). Far from being an expression of prayer like Añjali, this mudrā serves as a ritual seal (mudrā) to stabilize prāṇa and concentrate subtle energy during mantra practice and vyūha worship.
तिस्रः साधारणा व्यूहे अथासाधारणा इमाः
कनिष्ठादिविमोकेन अष्टौ मुद्रा यथाक्रमम् ॥३॥
tisraḥ sādhāraṇā vyūhe athāsādhāraṇā imāḥ
kaniṣṭhādi-vimokena aṣṭau mudrā yathā-kramam || 3 ||
In vyūha-worship there are three common (mudrās). Next, these are the specific ones: eight mudrās produced by releasing the fingers beginning with the little finger, in proper sequence.
In this verse:
Three “common” mudrās used in standard vyūha worship Eight “specific” mudrās are defined next These eight are produced by a system of finger release starting from the little finger
This verse establishes the chapter’s structural framework. It declares that the preceding three mudrās belong to the class of sādhāraṇa, meaning they are generally applicable in ritual worship of the vyūhas. The text then introduces a second category: eight specialized mudrās that will be presented next. These are not arbitrary gestures but are mechanically defined through finger-release sequences beginning with the little finger and proceeding in order. This signals a formalized mudrā-system based on anatomy and motion rather than symbolism. The structure anticipates a technical exposition where gestures are constructed through precise manipulations of the fingers, functioning as ritual mechanisms within mantra and visualization practice.
अष्टानां पूर्व्वबीजानां क्रमशस्त्ववधारयेत्
अङ्गुष्ठेन कनिष्ठान्तं नामयित्वाङ्गुलित्रयम् ॥४॥
aṣṭānāṃ pūrva-bījānāṃ kramaśas tv avadhārayet
aṅguṣṭhena kaniṣṭhāntaṃ nāmayitvāṅguli-trayam || 4 ||
One should clearly fix in mind the eight preceding seed mantras in their proper sequence. Then, using the thumb, one should bend the three middle fingers in order up to the little finger.
This verse gives the mechanical foundation for the next eight mudrās:
1. The practitioner must first memorize the eight bījas in order. 2. Then, using the thumb, he bends or presses the fingers up to the little finger. 3. The instruction “aṅguli-trayam” indicates the active manipulation of the three middle fingers (index, middle, ring), while the thumb governs the movement. This introduces the formal hand-logic behind the “eight mudrās” announced in the previous verse.
This verse begins the technical exposition of the eight specialized mudrās. Before any gesture is formed, the practitioner must firmly retain the sequence of eight bījas (seed-mantras), since each mudrā corresponds to a specific mantra-power. The physical method is equally exact: the thumb functions as the controlling digit, and the three middle fingers are successively bent or engaged, progressing toward the little finger. This creates a precise system for generating distinct mudrās through anatomy rather than symbolism. The verse reveals that these gestures operate as encoded bodily formulas—each movement activates a mantra through structure, not intention alone. Mudrā here is a ritual mechanism, not a symbolic pose.
ऊर्ध्वं कृत्वा सम्मुखं च बीजाय नवमाय वै
वामहस्तमथ उत्तानं कृत्वोर्ध्वं नामयेच्छनैः ॥५॥
ūrdhvaṃ kṛtvā sammukhaṃ ca bījāya navamāya vai
vāma-hastam atha uttānaṃ kṛtvordhvaṃ nāmaye cchanaiḥ || 5 ||
Having raised it upward and oriented it forward, for the ninth seed-mantra indeed, then one should make the left hand open, with palm upward, and gently incline it upward.
This verse introduces a new operator mudrā specifically for the ninth bīja. Steps:
1. The hand is brought upward and facing forward. 2. The left palm is opened (uttāna). 3. The palm is then gently lifted / curved upward. 4. The motion is deliberately slow (śanaiḥ). This is not a symbolic prayer posture: it is precise ritual engineering — a controlled reorientation of the palm that accompanies mantra deployment.
This verse defines the hand configuration for the ninth bīja-mudrā, marking a shift from the earlier finger-based gestures to a whole-palm posture. The left hand is opened and turned upward (uttāna), then raised and gently inclined, suggesting an offering or receiving orientation rather than containment. The slowness (śanaiḥ) emphasizes controlled motion rather than dramatic display. In ritual logic, the open left palm functions as a receptive field into which the mantra-force is projected. This mudrā thus expresses a controlled opening of the ritual body to receive and transmit power, corresponding to the ninth seed-mantra’s activation.
वराहस्य स्मृता मुद्रा अङ्गानाञ्च क्रमादिमाः
एकैकां मोचयेद्बद्ध्वा वाममुष्टौ तथाङ्गुलीम् ॥६॥
varāhasya smṛtā mudrā aṅgānāṃ ca kramād imāḥ
ekaikāṃ mocayedd baddhvā vāma-muṣṭau tathāṅgulīm || 6 ||
These mudrās associated with Varāha are traditionally known and are to be applied sequentially to the fingers. Binding each finger in the left fist, one should release them one by one.
This verse tells us:
The next mudrās are connected with Varāha (the boar aspect of Viṣṇu). These mudrās are generated by a progressive finger-release system. The left hand remains clenched in a fist (vāma-muṣṭi). One finger at a time is bound and then released. Each release corresponds to one mudrā. This ties directly to verses 4–5, which introduce the mechanical framework.
This verse establishes that the next sequence of gestures is associated with Varāha, Viṣṇu’s boar-incarnation, symbol of earth-lifting, grounding, and stabilization. The mudrās are not symbolic poses; they are executed through a technical process: the left hand forms a closed fist, and the fingers are bound and released one by one. Each movement functions as a mechanical switch that activates a corresponding mantra-power. The verse thus frames the upcoming mudrās as structured operations on the hand rather than expressive positions. This method encodes ritual meaning into anatomical movement, transforming the hand into a functional instrument for deploying mantras.
आकुञ्चयेत्पूर्वमुद्रां दक्षिणेऽप्येवमेव च
ऊर्ध्वाङ्गुष्ठो वाममुष्टिर्मुद्रासिद्धिस्ततो भवेत् ॥७॥
ākuñcayet pūrva-mudrāṃ dakṣiṇe’py evam eva ca
ūrdhvāṅguṣṭho vāma-muṣṭir mudrā-siddhis tato bhavet || 7 ||
One should now contract the previous mudrā likewise in the right hand, exactly as before. With the left fist maintained and the thumb held upright, the accomplishment of the mudrā then arises.
This verse gives a procedural refinement:
1. Whatever finger sequence was done in the left hand 2. Is now done also with the right hand. 3. Meanwhile, the left thumb remains upright. 4. The left hand stays clenched while the right performs controlled contractions. This final synchronization yields “mudrā-siddhi”.
This verse completes the execution of the Varāha-mudrā sequence by requiring that the same finger operations performed in the left hand now be mirrored in the right. Until this point, the left hand served as the controlling structure, but full efficacy demands symmetrical application. The instruction to keep the left thumb erect throughout preserves the ceremonial axis established earlier. The phrase mudrā-siddhiḥ reveals that correctness is not symbolic but technical: the mudrā attains completion only when the performance conditions are met exactly. The verse emphasizes precision, sequence, and bodily symmetry as the factors that confer ritual success within this mudrā system.
इत्यादिमहापुराणे आग्नेये मुद्रालक्षणं नाम षड्विंशोऽध्यायः
ity ādi–mahāpurāṇe āgney e mudrā–lakṣaṇaṃ nāma ṣaḍviṃśo’dhyāyaḥ
Thus ends the twenty-sixth chapter, entitled ‘The Characteristics of Mudrās,’ in the Agneya (Agni) section of the great primordial Purāṇa.
Chapter 26 provides a concise but technical exposition of ritual mudrās—sacred hand gestures employed in vyūha-oriented Vaiṣṇava worship. Mudrās are presented not as devotional ornamentation but as operative ritual mechanisms whose correct execution establishes divine presence (sānnīdhya) and empowers mantra practice.
The chapter opens by classifying mudrās into two groups: three common (sādhāraṇa) and eight specific (asādhāraṇa). The three common mudrās include:
The eight specialized mudrās are then introduced through a precise finger-release system beginning with the little finger. Each mudrā corresponds to a distinct seed-mantra (bīja) and is generated through controlled manipulation of the fingers rather than through symbolic expression. The thumb governs the system, acting as the activating digit.
Special attention is given to a class of mudrās associated with Varāha, Viṣṇu’s boar incarnation, which symbolize grounding and earth stabilization. These mudrās employ binding and releasing of fingers within the left fist, followed by symmetrical execution in the right hand. Completion (mudrā-siddhi) depends not on intention alone but on precise anatomical conformity.
Overall, the chapter demonstrates that mudrās function as codified ritual devices—mechanical, structural, and intrinsic to the correct activation of mantra and deity-presence. The body itself becomes a ritual instrument, and correct form, sequence, and symmetry replace emotionalism as the criteria of efficacy. This chapter thus integrates hands, mantra, and embodiment into a single operational ritual technology within worship.
Commentary
This opening verse introduces the ritual doctrine that mudrās are operative instruments, not symbolic gestures alone: they establish divine proximity (sānnīdhya) and activate ritual efficacy. Nārada announces a technical exposition, not a devotional sermon. The verse actually names two distinct mudrās: Añjali as the first and Vandanī as the second. Añjali is the traditional gesture of joined palms expressing reverence. Vandanī, however, is a separate mudrā, performed at the heart region (hṛdayānugā), indicating its interiorized and contemplative function. The qualities “vandanī” and “hṛdayānugā” therefore do not describe Añjali but introduce a second mudrā with a different ritual placement. The verse thus establishes a sequence structure: Añjali (first), Vandanī (second), with further mudrās to follow. It frames mudrās as functional techniques within worship, involving precise bodily placement rather than emotional symbolism.