Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 17
Chapter 371 — Yama-Niyama and Praṇava-Upāsanā (Oṅkāra) as Brahma-vidyā
शरीरं धर्मसंयुक्तं रक्षणीयं प्रयत्नतः शौचन्तु द्विविधं प्रोक्तं वाह्यमभ्यन्तरं तथा
śarīraṃ dharmasaṃyuktaṃ rakṣaṇīyaṃ prayatnataḥ śaucantu dvividhaṃ proktaṃ vāhyamabhyantaraṃ tathā
Der Körper, da er mit dem Dharma verbunden ist, soll mit eifrigem Bemühen geschützt werden. Reinheit (śauca) wird als zweifach gelehrt: äußere und ebenso innere.
Lord Agni (teaching to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Establishes the duty to protect the body as a support of dharma and defines purity as external and internal for daily conduct.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Śauca-dvaya (Twofold Purity) and Deha-rakṣaṇa (Care of the Body)","lookup_keywords":["śauca","bāhya","ābhyantara","deha-rakṣaṇa","dharma-śarīra"],"quick_summary":"The body should be maintained as an instrument of dharma; purity is twofold—external cleanliness and internal purity of mind."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: The body is a dharma-sādhana (means for practice); śauca is both outer cleanliness and inner purity.
Application: Treat health and hygiene as part of spiritual discipline; pair external routines (cleanliness) with internal routines (ethical vigilance, mental clarity).
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Shaucha (Purity and Conduct)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: dharmya
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A disciplined practitioner caring for the body (washing, orderly living) while also cultivating inner purity through calm posture and mindful restraint.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-panel composition: left shows bathing/clean garments (external śauca), right shows seated meditation with serene face (internal śauca), earthy pigments, strong contours, temple-aesthetic symmetry.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central figure with clean white cloth and water vessel, gold highlights around symbolic lotus-heart indicating inner purity, ornate border framing the ‘twofold śauca’ theme.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with labeled ‘bāhya śauca’ (washing, clean clothes) and ‘ābhyantara śauca’ (calm mind, restraint), soft colors, fine detailing.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic ashram scene: practitioner washing hands/feet near a water source, then reading/meditating, naturalistic architecture and garden, delicate shading."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Sarang","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: शौचन्तु = शौचम् + तु; वाह्यमभ्यन्तरं = वाह्यम् + अभ्यन्तरम्; धर्मसंयुक्तं treated as तत्पुरुष compound with कृदन्त संयुक्त.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Śauca discussion continuing (371.18); Yoga-dharma definitions (371.19–371.20)
FAQs
It classifies śauca (purity) into two operational categories—external cleanliness of the body and internal purity of the mind/intent—forming a practical framework for dharmic conduct.
By treating śauca as a defined, twofold discipline, it reflects the Agni Purana’s dharma-shastra layer—systematizing everyday ethics alongside its many other subjects (ritual, polity, medicine, arts).
Since the body is presented as an instrument for dharma, maintaining both outer cleanliness and inner purity supports righteous action and reduces impurity-driven karma (malina-saṅkalpa), aiding spiritual progress.