Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 27
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
पञ्चगव्यं त्रिरान्ते पीत्वा चान्त्यजलं द्विजः मत्स्यकण्टकशम्बूकशङ्खशुक्तिकपर्दकान्
pañcagavyaṃ trirānte pītvā cāntyajalaṃ dvijaḥ matsyakaṇṭakaśambūkaśaṅkhaśuktikapardakān
દ્વિજ નિર્ધારિત અવધિના અંતે ત્રણ વાર પંચગવ્ય પીીને તથા અંત્યજ-સંબંધિત જળ પણ ગ્રહણ કરીને, માછલીના કાંટા/હાડકાં, શંબૂક, શંખ, શુક્તિ (ઓઇસ્ટર-શેલ) અને કપર્દક (કૌરી)ના (સેવન/સ્પર્શ) દોષનું પ્રાયશ્ચિત્ત કરે છે.
Lord Agni (in dialogue, narrating purificatory rules to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Specifies expiation involving pañcagavya and restricted water to atone for contact/consumption of certain shell/bone items considered impure for a dvija.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Pañcagavya-based expiation for impure aquatic remnants (bones/shells)","lookup_keywords":["pañcagavya","antyaja-jala","matsya-kaṇṭaka","śaṅkha-śukti","prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"A dvija atones by drinking pañcagavya three times at the end of the observance, along with water associated with an antyaja, for faults connected with fish-bones and certain shells/cowries."}
Concept: Purity rules extend to specific categories of food-remnants and animal products; expiation restores ritual fitness through regulated intake and restraint.
Application: For accidental transgression, follow a codified expiation rather than improvising; the text treats purity as a recoverable state via discipline.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta-vidhi (Ritual Atonements and Purification Rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: jugupsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dvija performing expiation: a small ritual setup with a bowl of pañcagavya, a water vessel, and symbolic depiction of fish-bones and shells set aside as impure items.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: priestly figure holding a small bowl labeled pañcagavya, beside stylized fish-bone and shell motifs, temple-courtyard setting, restrained palette, emphasis on purification rite.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate bowl with gold highlights, pañcagavya offering scene, symbolic shells (śaṅkha, śukti) rendered decoratively, devotional-purity aesthetic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic panel showing three measured sips of pañcagavya (tripartite sequence), clean linework, soft shading, clear labeling of items (matsya-kaṇṭaka, śaṅkha).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: scholar-priest supervising a dvija taking measured draughts from a cup; on a tray lie shells and cowries; fine textile and utensil detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: त्रिरान्ते = त्रिः + अन्ते; चान्त्यजलं = च + अन्त्यज + जलम्; final compound is dvandva enumeration.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (pañcagavya and śauca-related prāyaścittas)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific prāyaścitta: drinking pañcagavya three times at the conclusion of the observance, along with a stated ‘antyaja-water’ element, as expiation connected with impure/forbidden aquatic and shell substances (fish-bones, snails, conch, oyster-shell, cowries).
It exemplifies the text’s dharma-encyclopedia function by cataloging concrete impurity-cases (specific animals/shells and their parts) and pairing them with standardized ritual countermeasures (pañcagavya-based purification), alongside other domains covered elsewhere (iconography, polity, medicine, poetics).
The instruction frames purity-restoration: by undergoing the stated expiation, the dvija is ritually requalified for Vedic duties and communal rites, mitigating the karmic and social consequences of contact with or consumption of impure substances.