Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 2
Chapter 291 — Śāntyāyurveda
Ayurveda for Pacificatory Rites): Go-śānti, Penance-Regimens, and Therapeutics (incl. Veterinary Care
शकृन्मूत्रं परं तासामलक्ष्मीनाशनं परं गवां कण्डूयनं वारि शृङ्गस्याघौघमर्दनम्
śakṛnmūtraṃ paraṃ tāsāmalakṣmīnāśanaṃ paraṃ gavāṃ kaṇḍūyanaṃ vāri śṛṅgasyāghaughamardanam
Cow-dung and cow-urine are supreme for cows, foremost in destroying alakṣmī (misfortune). Water is the best means to relieve cows’ itching, and for the horn it is a crusher of masses of sin and evil.
Lord Agni (in discourse to the sage Vasiṣṭha, Agni Purana’s standard narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Ayurveda","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Veterinary hygiene and protective household practice using cow-products and water for itching relief and ritual purification.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Gavām śakṛn-mūtra-prāśastya and jalena kaṇḍū-nivāraṇa","lookup_keywords":["gomaya","gomutra","kandu","pashu-chikitsa","pavitrata"],"quick_summary":"Cow-dung and cow-urine are praised as foremost purifiers/warders of inauspiciousness for cattle; water is recommended for relieving cows’ itching and for cleansing the horns."}
Concept: Gau-sevā and śauca: purity and welfare arise from caring for cows and maintaining cleanliness.
Application: Integrate animal welfare with daily purity practices; treat sanitation as both health-protective and dharmic duty.
Khanda Section: Ayurveda / Pashu-chikitsa (Veterinary and domestic remedies)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cowshed scene: attendants cleaning with cow-dung/urine mixture, and another gently washing a cow’s itchy skin and horns with water; emphasis on cleanliness and care.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and greens, serene gośālā with attendants washing a cow and cleaning the floor with gomaya, stylized cows with ornate horns, calm devotional purity mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on the cow’s ornaments and halo-like aura of auspiciousness, attendants holding a water pot and a small vessel of gomūtra/gomaya, rich jewel tones, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework showing practical steps: washing the cow’s skin and horn area with water, clean cowshed floor plastered with gomaya, instructional yet gentle domestic setting.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed pastoral courtyard, attendants bathing a cow with a lota, careful depiction of vessels and textures, naturalistic animals, soft palette and precise architectural background."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तासामलक्ष्मीनाशनम् = तासाम् + अलक्ष्मी-नाशनम्; शृङ्गस्याघौघमर्दनम् = शृङ्गस्य + अघ-ओघ-मर्दनम्; शकृन्मूत्रम् treated as द्वन्द्व (शकृत्+मूत्रम्).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Go-dāna/Go-sevā sections; Agni Purana: Śauca and prāyaścitta discussions on pañcagavya
FAQs
It gives a practical go-seva/go-chikitsa instruction: cow-dung and cow-urine are stated as highly efficacious for removing inauspiciousness, while water is recommended for relieving itching in cows and for cleansing/benefiting the horn.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves applied knowledge—domestic purification and animal-care guidance—showing its wide scope that includes health, hygiene, and everyday management practices.
By describing cow-products as destroyers of alakṣmī and the horn as a remover of accumulated evil, the verse frames cleanliness and care of cows as both materially beneficial and spiritually purifying.