Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 29
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
मृताहनि च कर्तव्यं प्रतिमासन्तु वत्सरं प्रतिसंवत्सरं कार्यं श्राद्धं वै मासिकान्नवत्
mṛtāhani ca kartavyaṃ pratimāsantu vatsaraṃ pratisaṃvatsaraṃ kāryaṃ śrāddhaṃ vai māsikānnavat
في يوم الوفاة نفسه يجب أداء الشعيرة؛ ثم طوال سنة تُؤدَّى كل شهر؛ وبعد ذلك تُقام شعيرة الشرادها (śrāddha) كل سنة، ويُجرى الطقس السنوي على هيئة تقديم الطعام الشهري.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Scheduling and standardizing post-death śrāddha observances: immediate (death-day), monthly for one year, then annual—performed in the same procedural pattern as the monthly anna-offering.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śrāddha-kāla: death-day, monthly (saṁvatsara), and annual śrāddha sequence","lookup_keywords":["mṛtāhani śrāddha","māsika śrāddha","saṁvatsara śrāddha","pratyabda śrāddha","anna-vidhi"],"quick_summary":"Perform śrāddha on the day of death, then monthly for a year, and thereafter annually; the annual rite follows the same food-offering pattern as the monthly śrāddha."}
Concept: Pitṛ-ṛṇa (debt to ancestors) is discharged through time-bound, repeated śrāddha observances.
Application: Maintain a calendar of mṛtāha, māsika for 12 months, then yearly tithi-based śrāddha; keep procedure consistent with māsika anna-vidhi.
Khanda Section: Śrāddha-vidhi (Pitṛkārya / Funeral and Ancestor Rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder performs śrāddha: offering cooked rice-balls/food and water with darbha grass, with a ritual calendar indicating death-day, monthly rites for a year, and annual repetition.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, warm earthy palette, a gṛhastha in white dhoti performing pitṛ-tarpaṇa before a small altar with darbha and piṇḍa, stylized calendar motifs showing monthly and annual cycles, serene solemn mood","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf accents on ritual vessels and halo-like aureole behind the ancestral symbols, detailed brass plates with anna offerings, priest guiding the rite, rich reds and greens","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework, instructional composition: three panels—death-day śrāddha, monthly śrāddha, annual śrāddha—each with labeled offerings and posture, soft pastel background","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly domestic interior, meticulous utensils and textiles, a Brahmin reciting while the patron offers anna and water, marginalia-like calendar notes for monthly and yearly observance"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्रति-मासम् + तु → प्रतिमासन्तु (anusvāra/saṃdhi in transmission); मासिकान्नवत् = मासिक-अन्न-वत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 163 (Śrāddha-vidhi context: māsika/pratyabda rules)
FAQs
It prescribes the śrāddha schedule: perform rites on the day of death, then monthly for one year, and thereafter annually, with the annual rite modeled on the monthly food-offering procedure.
It functions as a practical dharma-ritual handbook entry, giving a precise calendar for post-death observances—one of the many applied topics (rites, law, conduct) that make the Agni Purana a compendium of lived religious practice.
By maintaining the prescribed śrāddha sequence, the family fulfills pitṛ-duty (pitṛṛṇa), supports the departed’s onward journey, and sustains ancestral satisfaction (pitṛ-tṛpti), which is traditionally linked to purification and merit for the performers.