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
La bouse de vache et l’urine de vache sont, pour elles (les vaches), ce qu’il y a de plus excellent, car elles sont au premier rang pour détruire l’alakṣmī (la malchance). L’eau est le meilleur moyen d’apaiser les démangeaisons des vaches; et, pour la corne, (elle est) ce qui broie les amas de péché et de mal.
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.