Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 31
Ācāra
Right Conduct
पुर्वत्सोपि इति ङ समाचामेदिति छ स्त्रीणामिच्छेति क देवनतिमिति ग , घ , ङ , ञ , ट च वेदनतिमिति ख ,छ च भद्रं भद्रमिति ब्रूयादित्यादिः, कुर्याद्धर्मादि नित्यश इत्य् अन्तः पाठः झ पुस्तके नास्ति षष्ठीचतुर्दश्यष्टम्यामभ्यङ्गं वर्जयेत्तथा दूराद्गृहान् मूत्रविष्ठे नोत्तमैवैरमाचरेत्
purvatsopi iti ṅa samācāmediti cha strīṇāmiccheti ka devanatimiti ga , gha , ṅa , ña , ṭa ca vedanatimiti kha ,cha ca bhadraṃ bhadramiti brūyādityādiḥ, kuryāddharmādi nityaśa ity antaḥ pāṭhaḥ jha pustake nāsti ṣaṣṭhīcaturdaśyaṣṭamyāmabhyaṅgaṃ varjayettathā dūrādgṛhān mūtraviṣṭhe nottamaivairamācaret
Se registran lecturas variantes en distintos manuscritos (p. ej., “purvatsopi”, “samācāmet”, “strīṇām icchā”, “deva-nati / veda-nati” y “bhadraṃ bhadram iti brūyāt”); además, la lectura interna “kuryād dharmādi nityaśaḥ” no aparece en el manuscrito Jha. La norma prescriptiva es: debe evitarse el masaje con aceite (abhyaṅga) en el sexto, el decimocuarto y el octavo día lunar; asimismo, deben mantenerse las casas a distancia de la orina y los excrementos; y no debe uno entrar en disputas con las personas virtuosas/excelentes.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Text-critical awareness of variant readings plus practical śauca rules: avoid oil massage on specified lunar days; maintain sanitation by distancing dwellings from waste; avoid quarrels with the virtuous.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Pāṭha-bheda Notes and Śauca-Niyama: Abhyaṅga-varjana, Malina-vastu-dūra, Sajjana-vivāda-tyāga","lookup_keywords":["pāṭha-bheda","abhyaṅga varjana","aṣṭamī caturdaśī ṣaṣṭhī","mūtra-viṣṭhā dūra","sajjana-vaira tyāga"],"quick_summary":"Manuscript variants are acknowledged, then the practical rule is given: avoid oil massage on Ṣaṣṭhī, Aṣṭamī, and Caturdaśī; keep habitation away from urine/excrement; and do not pick quarrels with good people."}
Dosha: Vata
Concept: Śauca (purity) and saṃyama (restraint) supported by disciplined routine; respect for textual transmission (pāṭha-bheda awareness)
Application: Adopt calendar-based restraints, sanitation planning for dwellings, and social harmony; in study, note variant readings without losing the practical injunction.
Khanda Section: Dharma-śāstra / Śauca-ācāra (Purificatory conduct and daily restraints)
Primary Rasa: śānta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A scribe compares manuscripts and notes variant readings; beside this, an instructional scene shows a calendar marking Ṣaṣṭhī/Aṣṭamī/Caturdaśī with an oil pot set aside; a clean household layout keeps latrine/waste far from the home; two people refrain from arguing with a respected elder.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, split narrative: palm-leaf manuscript collation with stylus, and a domestic purity scene with clearly separated waste area, oil pot and bath items shown but restrained on marked lunar days, calm didactic tone","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, ornate scholar-scribe with palm-leaf manuscripts highlighted in gold, side panels: tithi markers with decorative moons, a clean house compound with distant sanitation area, figures in respectful non-quarrel posture","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, highly legible instructional chart: tithi list (Ṣaṣṭhī/Aṣṭamī/Caturdaśī) with ‘no abhyaṅga’, schematic of house and waste-distance, and a vignette of avoiding dispute with a sādhū-like person","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, atelier scene of manuscript comparison, then a refined household courtyard with sanitation placed away, subtle calendar motif, and a social scene of deference preventing conflict"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Text contains editorial/variant-reading notes (ṅa/ka/ga etc.) which are not part of the metrical verse; analysis focuses on the actionable injunction segment: ṣaṣṭhīcaturdaśyaṣṭamyām + abhyaṅgam + varjayet + tathā + dūrāt + gṛhān + mūtraviṣṭhe + na + uttamavairam + ācaret. Sandhi: purvatsopi = pūrvavat + saḥ + api; dūrādgṛhān = dūrāt + gṛhān; nottamaivairamācaret = na + uttamavairam + ācaret.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Śauca-ācāra rules (snāna, ācamana, mala-śuddhi); Agni Purana: Ayurveda dinacaryā notes (abhyaṅga); Agni Purana: Vrata/tithi-related observances
FAQs
It gives śauca-ācāra instructions: avoid abhyaṅga (oil massage) on specific tithis (6th, 8th, 14th), maintain hygienic separation from mūtra/viṣṭhā (urine/feces), and avoid enmity with the virtuous; it also preserves manuscript variant readings relevant for textual transmission.
Alongside theology, the Agni Purana catalogs practical dharma—calendar-based bodily regimen, public hygiene, and social ethics—showing it functions as a compendium of lived religious law and everyday discipline, even preserving variant textual traditions.
Observing tithi-based restraints and cleanliness supports ritual purity (śuddhi) and reduces doṣa-like impurity in religious life; avoiding quarrels with the virtuous protects one from pāpa generated by hostility and preserves auspiciousness (bhadra).