Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 30
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
हविष्यान्नेन वै मासं पायसेन तु वत्सरं मात्स्यहारिणकौरभ्रशाकुनच्छागपार्षतैः
haviṣyānnena vai māsaṃ pāyasena tu vatsaraṃ mātsyahāriṇakaurabhraśākunacchāgapārṣataiḥ
بـhaviṣyānna ينبغي مراعاة هذا النظام مدة شهر؛ وبالأرز المطبوخ باللبن (pāyasa) مدة سنة؛ وكذلك—وفق القاعدة المذكورة—يُباح اتخاذ السمك، ولحم الأيل، والخنزير البري، والكبش، والطير، والماعز، والأرنب طعامًا مسموحًا.
Lord Agni (instructional narration to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Guiding dietary observances used in vow/expiation contexts: specifying durations (month/year) and permitted foods (haviṣyānna, pāyasa, and certain meats) according to rule.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vrata-āhāra: haviṣyānna, pāyasa, and permitted meats (matsya–śaśa)","lookup_keywords":["haviṣyānna vrata","pāyasa niyama","matsya āhāra","mṛga-varāha meat rule","prāyaścitta diet"],"quick_summary":"For regulated observances, one may subsist on haviṣyānna for a month or pāyasa for a year; alternatively, specific meats are permitted as per the stated regimen."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: Niyama (regulated intake) supports vrata/prāyaścitta by aligning bodily conduct with dharmic intention.
Application: Choose a single approved dietary mode for the vowed period; maintain consistency and avoid indulgent variety that breaks the spirit of restraint.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Vrata-dana (Dietary observances and expiatory regimens)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vow-observer follows prescribed foods: a simple haviṣyānna plate, a bowl of pāyasa, and a separate panel listing permitted meats (fish, deer, boar, ram, bird, goat, hare) as symbolic icons.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized kitchen-ritual setting, devotee seated on mat with banana-leaf haviṣyānna, separate golden bowl of pāyasa, surrounding animal/fish motifs as emblematic permitted foods, calm ascetic mood","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ornate vessels with gold work, pāyasa in a jeweled bowl, devotee with prayer beads, small medallions depicting fish, deer, boar, ram, bird, goat, hare around the border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional plate: labeled drawings of haviṣyānna and pāyasa, plus a neat grid of permitted meats, emphasis on clarity and line precision","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined dining scene with minimal portions, scribe-like annotations naming foods, naturalistic rendering of fish and game animals in margins"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: हविष्य + अन्नेन → हविष्यान्नेन; शाकुन + छाग → शाकुनच्छाग (cch).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 163 (dietary rules adjacent to śrāddha/prāyaścitta sections)
FAQs
It specifies time-frames for expiatory/vrata-style dietary regimens: haviṣyānna is prescribed for a month, pāyasa for a year, and it lists additional allowable food-bases (fish and certain meats) within the same rule-framework.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana catalogs practical dharma procedures—here, precise durations and permitted foods for prāyaścitta and vrata discipline—showing it functions as a compact manual of ritual law and conduct.
Regulated eating over fixed periods is treated as a purificatory discipline: restraint and rule-bound consumption operate as prāyaścitta, mitigating impurity and supporting moral and ritual restoration.