Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 7
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
द्विगुणांस्तु कुशान् कृत्वा ह्य् उशन्तस्त्वेत्यृचा पितॄन् आवाह्य तदनुज्ञातो जपेदायान्तु नस्ततः
dviguṇāṃstu kuśān kṛtvā hy uśantastvetyṛcā pitṝn āvāhya tadanujñāto japedāyāntu nastataḥ
Ayant doublé les faisceaux d’herbe kuśa (en nombre ou en longueur), il doit invoquer les Pitṛs par le Ṛk commençant « uśantas tvā… ». Ensuite, après avoir obtenu leur assentiment, il doit réciter : « Qu’ils viennent à nous de là ».
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: द्विगुणांस्तु = द्विगुणान् + तु; त्वेत्यृचा = त्वा + इति + ऋचा; तदनुज्ञातो = तत् + अनुज्ञातः; जपेदायान्तु = जपेत् + आयान्तु; नस्ततः = नः + ततः.
FAQs
It teaches the precise śrāddha-prayoga: doubling the kuśa arrangement, invoking the Pitṛs using a specific Ṛgvedic ṛc (“uśantas tvā…”), and then performing japa only after receiving their ritual ‘anujñā’ (assent).
Alongside theology and narratives, the Agni Purana preserves step-by-step liturgical micro-procedures—materials (kuśa), mantra-cues (opening words of an ṛc), and sequence rules (invoke → obtain assent → japa)—showing its coverage of practical ritual science.
Correct invocation and mantra-recitation with the Pitṛs’ assent is intended to make the offering effective, ensuring ancestral satisfaction (pitṛ-tṛpti) and generating merit (puṇya) for the performer through properly authorized śrāddha.