Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 69
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
दानादि निनिवर्तेत कुलस्यान्नं न भुज्यते अज्ञाते पातकं नाद्ये भोक्तुरेकमहो ऽन्यथा
dānādi ninivarteta kulasyānnaṃ na bhujyate ajñāte pātakaṃ nādye bhokturekamaho 'nyathā
Man soll von Gaben und Ähnlichem abstehen und die Speise jener Familie nicht essen. Ist (das Vergehen) unbekannt, so liegt in der Speise keine Sünde; andernfalls trägt allein der Essende sie.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purana narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Guidance for social/ritual interaction with a household under fault/impurity: suspending dāna and avoiding their food; rule of culpability when the fault is known vs unknown.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Food acceptance, dāna-suspension, and culpability based on knowledge of fault","lookup_keywords":["dāna-nivṛtti","anna-bhojana","pātaka","ajñāta-doṣa","bhojaka-doṣa"],"quick_summary":"Refrain from gifts and related dealings and do not eat that family’s food; if the fault is unknown, eating is not sinful, but if known, the eater bears the demerit."}
Concept: Moral-ritual responsibility depends on knowledge (jñāna/ajñāna) of impurity or fault; intentional participation incurs personal demerit.
Application: Before accepting food or gifts, ascertain the giver’s ritual status; if knowingly transgressing, accept accountability and perform expiation as required by one’s dharma tradition.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Achara (Ritual Conduct, Dana, and Food Purity)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A traveler or neighbor declines gifts and refuses to eat in a household due to suspected fault; a contrasting vignette shows an unaware eater versus a knowingly transgressing eater bearing the consequence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-panel didactic scene: left—guest politely refusing food and dāna, right—figure with thought-bubble-like symbolic ‘doṣa’ cloud when knowingly eating, warm ochres and reds, stylized gestures of refusal and instruction","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, moral instruction scene with gold borders: a householder offering food and gifts, a dharmic guest raising hand in refusal, small inset showing ‘ajñāta’ vs ‘jñāta’ outcome, ornate but clear icon-like composition","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional clarity: labeled contrast of ‘ajñāta’ and ‘jñāta’, a guest at threshold, food vessels, palm-leaf text in elder’s hand, soft palette and fine detailing","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, social etiquette scene at a doorway, refined costumes, subtle facial expressions of hesitation/refusal, marginal notes implied, documentary realism with delicate floral borders"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कुलस्यान्नं = कुलस्य + अन्नम्; नाद्ये = न + आद्ये; भोक्तुरेकमहो = भोक्तुः + एकम् + अहः; 'ऽन्यथा = अन्यथा (अवग्रह)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (food restrictions during āśauca); Agni Purana 159 (funerary śauca and efficacy conditions)
FAQs
It gives an achara-rule: avoid accepting gifts and avoid eating a household’s food when that household is considered ritually or ethically tainted; culpability hinges on whether the eater knows the fault.
Alongside rituals and theology, the Agni Purana also preserves practical dharma-shastra norms—here, detailed social-ritual regulations about dana (gift relations) and bhojana (food acceptance) that govern purity and responsibility.
It frames karma as intention-and-knowledge based: ignorance mitigates fault, but knowingly eating prohibited food makes the eater personally responsible for the resulting demerit.