Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 9
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
द्व्यब्दे नैवाग्निसंस्कारो मृते तन्निखनेद् भुवि न चोदकक्रिया तस्य नाम्नि चापि कृते सति
dvyabde naivāgnisaṃskāro mṛte tannikhaned bhuvi na codakakriyā tasya nāmni cāpi kṛte sati
দুই বছর পূর্ণ হওয়ার আগে শিশুর মৃত্যু হলে অগ্নিসংস্কার (দাহ) করা হয় না; তাকে ভূমিতে সমাধিস্থ করতে হয়। সেই শিশুর নামকরণ হয়ে থাকলেও তার জন্য উদক-ক্রিয়া করা বিধেয় নয়।
Lord Agni (in discourse to the sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the Agni Purāṇa’s standard narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samskara-vidhi","practical_application":"Guiding funerary handling for infants under two years: burial instead of cremation, and omission of udaka-kriyā, preventing improper rites and ensuring correct family observances.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Antyeṣṭi for Child Under Two Years (Burial; No Udaka-kriyā)","lookup_keywords":["dvī-abda","bāla-maraṇa","nidhana","bhūmi-nikṣepa","udaka-kriyā"],"quick_summary":"For a child dying before two years, the body is buried (not cremated) and water-offering rites are not performed, even if naming has occurred. This is a specific exception within antyeṣṭi norms."}
Concept: Saṃskāras are applied with eligibility conditions; rites vary by age/adhikāra, and dharma recognizes graded ritual treatment of death.
Application: In family bereavement involving an infant, perform earth-burial with appropriate restraint, and avoid udaka-kriyā/cremation rites that are prescribed for older persons.
Khanda Section: Śrāddha and Antyeṣṭi (Funerary rites and post-death observances)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A small funeral scene: elders gently placing an infant’s body into a prepared earth pit, with no cremation fire, and a priest indicating omission of water offerings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, compassionate domestic scene near a garden edge, priest with palm-leaf text, family in subdued colors, earth pit prepared with darbha, no flames present.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, symbolic composition: earth mound and burial pit centered, priest holding śāstra, family figures with minimal ornament, gold used sparingly to frame the dharma injunction.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear instructional depiction: two panels—crossed-out cremation pyre and highlighted burial in earth; annotation-like visuals for ‘no udaka-kriyā’.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate courtyard burial with detailed textiles, mourners seated, a learned figure gesturing to a manuscript stating ‘dvī-abde’ rule, muted tones."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नैव → न + एव; तन्निखनेद् → तत् + निखनेत्; चोदकक्रिया → च + उदकक्रिया; चापि → च + अपि. ‘मृते…कृते सति’ form locative-absolute constructions.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (Śrāddha/Antyeṣṭi rules nearby)
FAQs
It gives a specific antyeṣṭi rule: for deaths occurring before two years of age, burial is prescribed instead of cremation, and udaka-kriyā (water offerings) is omitted even if naming has occurred.
It preserves practical dharma-ritual jurisprudence—age-based exceptions in funerary procedure—showing the text’s coverage beyond mythology into applied ritual law and household religious practice.
The verse frames an age-appropriate rite: the child is not subjected to full adult post-death rites, indicating a differentiated karmic/ritual status and aiming to maintain ritual propriety (śuddhi) for both family and deceased.