Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 58
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
प्रविशेयुः समालभ्य कृत्वाश्मनि पदं शनैः अक्षरलवणान्नः स्युर् निर्मांसा भूमिशायिनः
praviśeyuḥ samālabhya kṛtvāśmani padaṃ śanaiḥ akṣaralavaṇānnaḥ syur nirmāṃsā bhūmiśāyinaḥ
Ils doivent entrer dans l’observance prescrite, après avoir touché dûment le rite/la discipline, et, pas à pas, poser lentement le pied sur une pierre. Ils doivent subsister d’une nourriture mesurée « par une seule syllabe » et d’un mets salé, s’abstenir de viande et dormir à même le sol.
Lord Agni (in dialogue, instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Designing and observing expiatory disciplines (prāyaścitta) involving regulated diet, non-violence, austerity, and prescribed conduct (e.g., sleeping on the ground).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Prāyaścitta-vrata: regulated entry, measured diet, and austerities","lookup_keywords":["prāyaścitta","vrata-vidhi","akṣara-lavaṇa-anna","nir-māṃsa","bhūmiśayana"],"quick_summary":"The observant enters the discipline with ritual propriety, proceeds carefully, eats strictly regulated salted food in minimal measure, avoids meat, and sleeps on the ground as an austerity."}
Concept: Purification through niyama (regulated conduct) and tapas (austerity), expressed as food-restraint, non-violence, and humility.
Application: Adopt measurable restraints (diet, sleep, conduct) as a structured method for expiation and self-regulation.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta & Vrata-vidhi (Atonements, vows, and expiatory disciplines)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic or householder-votary begins an expiatory observance, stepping carefully onto a stone, carrying a small food portion, rejecting meat, and sleeping on bare ground.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and greens, a vrata-observer with shaved head and simple cloth, stepping onto a stone slab, holding a small leaf-bowl of salted rice, sparse hut interior, calm austere mood, traditional ornamented borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on the stone platform and ritual vessels, a restrained palette, the votary in simple white cloth, minimal food in a small bowl, ground-sleeping mat, devotional-austere atmosphere","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework, instructional composition showing sequential steps: touching the rite, stepping on stone, measured food, sleeping on ground; labels implied by gestures, clean background","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed domestic courtyard, a votary stepping onto a stone, attendants absent, small dish of salted food, night scene with the votary lying on the ground, delicate architectural framing"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कृत्वाश्मनि = कृत्वा + अश्मनि; लवणान्नः = लवण + अन्नः; स्युर् = स्युः (विसर्ग-लोप)
Related Themes: Agni Purana: prāyaścitta-vrata sections in the same khanda; general śauca-niyama passages elsewhere in Dharma portions
FAQs
It prescribes prāyaścitta-style austerities: gradual, careful ritual conduct (stepping slowly on stone), regulated minimal diet (akṣara-measured food with salt), abstinence from meat, and sleeping on the ground as a discipline.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana catalogs practical dharma procedures—here, precise bodily, dietary, and lifestyle regulations used in vows and expiations, reflecting its handbook-like coverage of ritual law and conduct.
Such restraints function as tapas (austerity) to reduce impurity and karmic burden, cultivating self-control and ritual purity as part of expiatory observance.