Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 37
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
दाने यज्ञे विवाहे च सद्यः शौचं विधीयते विप्रगोनृपहन्तॄणामनुक्तं चात्मघातिनां
dāne yajñe vivāhe ca sadyaḥ śaucaṃ vidhīyate vipragonṛpahantṝṇāmanuktaṃ cātmaghātināṃ
Bei Gabe (dāna), Opfer (yajña) und Hochzeit (vivāha) ist eine sofortige Reinigung (sadyah-śauca) vorgeschrieben. Für die Töter eines Brāhmaṇa, einer Kuh oder eines Königs sowie für Selbstmörder wird die Regel (hier) nicht ausdrücklich genannt.
Lord Agni (teaching to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as the standard Agni Purāṇa dialog frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Ensuring eligibility and readiness for auspicious rites (dāna, yajña, vivāha) through immediate śauca, while noting unresolved/unstated rules for grave sinners (brahmahatyā, gohatyā, rājavadha) and suicides requiring consultation of fuller smṛti/prāyaścitta sections.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Sadyah-śauca for dāna-yajña-vivāha; note on grave transgressors","lookup_keywords":["sadyah-śauca","dāna","yajña","vivāha","prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"For gifting, sacrifice, and marriage, immediate purification is prescribed; for killers of a brāhmaṇa, cow, or king, and for suicides, this passage does not state the rule, implying recourse to other prāyaścitta authorities."}
Concept: Auspicious acts require immediate ritual readiness (sadyah-śauca), while grave sins fall under specialized prāyaścitta beyond general śauca rules.
Application: Before dāna/yajña/vivāha, perform immediate śauca (bath/cleanliness as per tradition); for mahāpātaka contexts, consult prāyaścitta texts/ācārya guidance rather than assuming ordinary śuddhi.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Ashauca-Shauca Vidhi (Rules of purity and impurity)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Three auspicious settings—gift-giving, yajña altar, and wedding pavilion—each preceded by immediate purification; a contrasting shadowed panel indicates grave sins (brahmahatyā, gohatyā, rājavadha, suicide) with a note to seek prāyaścitta authority.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, triptych: dāna scene with donor and brāhmaṇa, yajña with fire altar, vivāha with maṇḍapa; foreground figure performing quick snāna/ācamanam; darker corner motif symbolizing mahāpātaka requiring expiation.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, richly ornamented vivāha maṇḍapa with gold, adjacent small yajña kuṇḍa and dāna scene; central purification act highlighted with gold water vessel; border inscriptions of 'sadyah-śauca'.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional diagram: sequence arrows from śauca to dāna/yajña/vivāha; separate boxed note for mahāpātaka and ātmaghāta marked 'anuktam' (not stated here).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, elegant courtly wedding and yajña scenes with fine detail; a small scholar figure annotates a manuscript margin indicating immediate purification; subdued vignette of penitential consultation for grave transgressions."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: हन्तॄणामनुक्तं = हन्तॄणाम् + अनुक्तम्; चात्मघातिनां = च + आत्मघातिनाम्. vipragonṛpahantṝṇām treated as multi-member tatpurusha (enumerative).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (śauca/aśauca); Agni Purana prāyaścitta-related material (where present in the text’s dharma sections)
FAQs
It specifies a śauca rule: for dāna, yajña, and vivāha, purification is to be done immediately (sadyaḥ śauca), indicating these rites require prompt restoration/maintenance of ritual purity.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical dharma-shāstric procedure—here, operational rules of purity (śauca) and the classification of severe transgressions—showing its coverage of social-ritual governance.
Immediate śauca safeguards the efficacy and auspiciousness of major rites (charity, sacrifice, marriage), while the mention of brahmin/cow/king-slaying and suicide signals acts of extreme demerit that fall under heavier expiatory frameworks beyond ordinary purification.