Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 14
Yati-dharma
The Dharma of the Renunciate Ascetic
अह्नि रात्र्याञ्च यान् जन्तून् हिनस्त्यज्ञानतो यतिः तेषां स्नात्वा विशुद्ध्यर्थं प्राणायामान् षडाचरेत्
ahni rātryāñca yān jantūn hinastyajñānato yatiḥ teṣāṃ snātvā viśuddhyarthaṃ prāṇāyāmān ṣaḍācaret
દિવસે કે રાત્રે યતિ અજાણતાં જે જીવને હાનિ કરે, તે દોષની શુદ્ધિ માટે સ્નાન કરીને છ પ્રાણાયામ કરવો જોઈએ।
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Yoga-practice as expiation","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Daily expiation for inadvertent himsa by ascetics: bathe and perform a fixed count of pranayamas to restore ritual-ethical purity.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Ṣaṭ-prāṇāyāma as Prāyaścitta for Ajñāta-hiṃsā","lookup_keywords":["prāyaścitta","ṣaṭ-prāṇāyāma","ajñāta-hiṃsā","yati","śauca"],"quick_summary":"For unintended harm to small beings during day or night, an ascetic should bathe and perform six rounds of prāṇāyāma as a purificatory expiation."}
Concept: Even inadvertent violence incurs subtle fault; disciplined breath and bathing function as inner-outer purification.
Application: Cultivate vigilance (apramāda) and adopt a daily corrective practice when harm is unavoidable in embodied life.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta & Śauca-vidhi (Purification rites; Yoga-practice as expiation)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic at a riverbank after bathing, seated in padmāsana, counting six measured breath-regulations as expiation for unseen harm to tiny creatures.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, serene riverside āśrama setting, yati with kamaṇḍalu and daṇḍa, seated in yogic posture, subtle depiction of tiny beings in grass, muted earth pigments, devotional calm","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ascetic seated on ornate mat near stylized river, gold-leaf highlights on water ripples and halo-like aura of purity, minimal background, emphasis on ritual bath and pranayama mudra","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, instructional clarity: sequence of six breath counts shown with small panels, yati bathing then sitting, fine linework, soft colors, annotated feel without text","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed riverside flora and fauna, ascetic performing pranayama with rosary, tiny insects/creatures in foreground, delicate shading, courtly realism adapted to hermitage scene"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: रात्र्याञ्च → रात्र्याम् + च; हिनस्त्यज्ञानतो → हिनस्ति + अज्ञानतः; विशुद्ध्यर्थं → विशुद्धि + अर्थम्; षडाचरेत् → षट् + आचरेत् (final -ट् before vowel).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 161 (Prāyaścitta-Śauca context); Agni Purana sections on Yoga/Prāṇāyāma (where enumerations of kumbhaka etc. occur)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific expiation: after bathing (snāna), an ascetic should perform six prāṇāyāmas to purify the fault incurred by inadvertent harm to small creatures.
It integrates śāstric ethics (ahiṃsā and responsibility for unintended injury) with practical ritual procedure (snāna) and yogic technique (prāṇāyāma), showing how the text spans dharma, purification law, and yoga methods.
Even unintentional violence is treated as a purificatory concern; the verse frames breath-discipline and bathing as means to cleanse subtle impurity and restore ritual-spiritual fitness.