Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 5
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
आचूडादेकरात्रं स्यादाव्रताच्च त्रिरात्रकं दशरात्रं भवेदस्मान्मातापित्रोस्त्रिरात्रकं
ācūḍādekarātraṃ syādāvratācca trirātrakaṃ daśarātraṃ bhavedasmānmātāpitrostrirātrakaṃ
Jusqu’à l’accomplissement du cūḍā (rite de tonsure) de l’enfant, la durée est d’une nuit ; pour celui qui n’a pas encore pris les vœux prescrits (vrata), elle est de trois nuits. Au-delà de ce stade, elle devient de dix nuits ; mais pour la mère et le père, elle n’est que de trois nuits.
Lord Agni (in dialogue, traditionally teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Determines āśauca duration based on the child’s saṃskāra stage (up to cūḍā), vow-status (avrata), and special rule for parents; used to plan ritual eligibility and household conduct.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Āśauca-kāla by saṃskāra stage: cūḍā, vrata-status, and parents","lookup_keywords":["cūḍā","avrata","ekarātra","trirātra","daśarātra"],"quick_summary":"Specifies graded observance: one night up to cūḍā, three nights for one without vows, later ten nights, but only three nights for mother and father in the stated case."}
Concept: Dharma calibrates impurity observance by life-stage (saṃskāra) and responsibility (vrata), while granting specific mitigations for parents.
Application: When a death/birth impurity arises, compute the observance length using the child’s saṃskāra status and the person’s vow-status; apply the parent exception to avoid overextension of restrictions.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Ashaucha & Prayaschitta: rules of ritual impurity and expiatory observances)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence of child life-stages: pre-cūḍā infant, cūḍā ceremony scene, and a household elder consulting a day-count for āśauca; parents shown with a shorter observance indicated.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural narrative strip: cūḍā rite with barber and sacred fire, then a dharma-elder pointing to palm-leaf day counts (1,3,10), parents in foreground marked with 3-day rule; warm earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting: central cūḍā ceremony with gold ornamentation on ritual vessels; side cartouches showing numbers 1/3/10 and parents’ 3-day exception, ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style didactic chart: illustrated stages (before cūḍā, avrata, later stage) with corresponding nights; parents highlighted; delicate shading and clear labels.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: indoor ceremony of tonsure with attendants, scholar noting observance durations on a scroll; parents seated separately with a smaller numeral indicating reduced period."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: आचूडादेकरात्रं → आचूडात् + एकरात्रम्; स्यादाव्रताच्च → स्यात् + आव्रतात् + च; भवेदस्मान्मातापित्रोस्त्रिरात्रकं → भवेत् + अस्मात् + मातापित्रोः + त्रिरात्रकम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (saṃskāra-linked śauca rules); Agni Purana saṃskāra-related summaries (cūḍā, upanayana contexts)
FAQs
It prescribes graded durations (one, three, or ten nights) for a purity/observance period connected with life-stage rites (like cūḍā) and the status of having undertaken vrata, with a specific exception for one’s parents.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purana compiles practical dharma norms—here, concise dharma-shastra style rules on observance durations tied to saṃskāras and family relations, reflecting its wide-ranging legal-ritual coverage.
By observing the correctly prescribed period, one maintains ritual purity and social-religious order (dharma), minimizing fault (doṣa) and supporting auspiciousness and merit through disciplined conduct.