Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 21
Chapter 166: वर्णधर्मादिकथनं
Exposition of Varṇa-Dharma and Related Topics
उदकञ्च तृणं भस्म द्वारम्पन्थास्तथैव च अग्न्याधानमग्निहोत्रमिति ख , छ च अन्यगोत्रो ऽन्यसम्बन्ध इति ख , घ , ञ च एभिरन्तरितं कृत्वा पङ्क्तिदोषो न विद्यते
udakañca tṛṇaṃ bhasma dvārampanthāstathaiva ca agnyādhānamagnihotramiti kha , cha ca anyagotro 'nyasambandha iti kha , gha , ña ca ebhirantaritaṃ kṛtvā paṅktidoṣo na vidyate
食事の列において、水・草・灰・戸口・通路などを間に置いて隔て、また聖火の建立（agnyādhāna）やアグニホートラ（Agnihotra）を介在させて区切るなら、「paṅkti-doṣa」（同列飲食の汚染という過失）は生じない。同様に、gotraが異なる者、あるいは関係が異なる者であっても、このような隔てがなされればpaṅkti-doṣaは存在しない。
Lord Agni (Agni Purāṇa’s primary narrator) instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha (traditional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Managing ritual dining purity: prevent paṅkti-doṣa by creating valid separations in a dining row using specified physical dividers or intervening rites/status distinctions.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Paṅkti-doṣa avoidance through intervening separations","lookup_keywords":["paṅkti-doṣa","bhojana-vidhi","antarita","udaka-tṛṇa-bhasma","agnyādhāna-agnihotra"],"quick_summary":"A dining row is not ritually contaminated if separated by prescribed dividers (water, grass, ash, doorway, path) or by intervening sacred-fire rites (agnyādhāna, agnihotra), and by distinctions such as different gotra/relationship when properly interposed."}
Concept: Ritual purity is maintained through recognized boundaries (physical, spatial, and procedural) that prevent transmission of impurity in communal acts.
Application: When organizing śrāddha/brahma-bhojana, seat diners with proper separators or distinct rows/thresholds to avoid paṅkti-doṣa.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Ācāra): Śrāddha & Bhojana-vidhi (rules of ritual dining and impurity)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A śrāddha dining row where separators are placed: a small water line/pot, darbha grass, a pinch of ash, and spatial breaks like a doorway or path; nearby, agnihotra fire is tended, indicating procedural separation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, long dining row on banana leaves, clear separators (water pot, darbha bundle, ash mark), doorway threshold shown, small agnihotra fire at side, ornate border motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ceremonial dining with gold accents, priests seated in rows, highlighted separators and a small homa-kunda, architectural doorway emphasized with gilded arch.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional diagram-like scene: labeled separators (udaka, tṛṇa, bhasma, dvāra, panthā), plus agnyādhāna/agnihotra vignette, clean composition and fine detailing.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtyard feast with precise spatial divisions, doorway and pathway perspective, attendants placing water and grass separators, delicate architectural rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: उदकञ्च → उदकम् + च; द्वारम्पन्थाः → द्वारम् + पन्थाः; अग्न्याधानम् → अग्नि + आधानम्; अन्यगोत्रो ऽन्यसम्बन्धः → अन्यगोत्रः + अन्यसम्बन्धः; एभिरन्तरितं → एभिः + अन्तरितम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 166 (bhojana-vidhi and śauca rules)
FAQs
It teaches how to prevent paṅkti-doṣa (row contamination) during śrāddha/ritual feasts by inserting separators (water, kuśa grass, ash, doorway, path) or by ensuring an intervening separation such as agnyādhāna/agnihotra, or by arranging diners so incompatible associations are not contiguous.
Beyond mythology, it preserves practical Dharmaśāstra-style procedure—fine-grained rules of commensality, purity, and ritual logistics—showing the Agni Purāṇa’s coverage of social-ritual law alongside theology.
Correctly avoiding paṅkti-doṣa safeguards the purity and efficacy of śrāddha offerings; it protects the intended merit (puṇya) of the rite and prevents ritual demerit arising from improper association in the dining row.