Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 33
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
यद्ददाति गयास्थञ्च सर्वमानन्त्यमुच्यते तथा वर्षात्रयोदश्यां मघासु च न संशयः
yaddadāti gayāsthañca sarvamānantyamucyate tathā varṣātrayodaśyāṃ maghāsu ca na saṃśayaḥ
អ្វីក៏ដោយដែលមនុស្សម្នាក់ថ្វាយនៅពេលស្នាក់នៅកាយា (Gayā) ត្រូវបានប្រកាសថាបង្កើតបុណ្យមិនអស់មិនហើយគ្រប់ប្រការ; ដូចគ្នានេះផងដែរ ការថ្វាយនៅថ្ងៃចន្ទគតិទីដប់បីក្នុងរដូវវស្សា និងការថ្វាយនៅពេលព្រះចន្ទស្ថិតក្នុងនក្ខត្រ Maghā មានផលមិនខាន—មិនមានសង្ស័យឡើយ។
Lord Agni (traditionally instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s discourse frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Jyotisha","practical_application":"Choosing high-fruit occasions for dāna: giving at Gayā, on a specified seasonal trayodaśī, and under Maghā nakṣatra—used for planning pilgrim charity and ritual gifting.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Dāna-mahātmyam: Gayā-dāna, Varṣā-trayodaśī, and Maghā-nakṣatra gifts","lookup_keywords":["Gayā dāna","akṣaya puṇya","trayodaśī varṣā","Maghā nakṣatra","dāna phala"],"quick_summary":"Gifts given at Gayā, on the rainy-season thirteenth lunar day, or when the Moon is in Maghā are praised as yielding inexhaustible merit, guiding timing and location for charity."}
Concept: Dāna gains amplified phala when aligned with deśa-kāla (sacred place and auspicious time).
Application: Plan charitable giving during pilgrimage to Gayā or on trayodaśī/Maghā; prioritize worthy recipients and appropriate gifts to convert wealth into enduring dharmic merit.
Khanda Section: Dāna-dharma (Gift-giving rites and tīrtha-mahātmyas)
Primary Rasa: shraddha
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Pilgrims at Gayā performing offerings near the Phalgu riverbank and giving gifts to Brahmins; a sky panel shows the Moon in Maghā; a calendar mark highlights trayodaśī in the rainy season.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Gayā tīrtha scene with riverbank rituals, pilgrims offering cloth and food to Brahmins, stylized lunar nakṣatra emblem for Maghā in the upper register, monsoon clouds indicating varṣā-kāla","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Gayā shrine/riverbank with gold-leaf highlights on donation vessels and garments, donors and recipients in formal poses, celestial band showing Moon and Maghā star cluster","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout: left—Gayā dāna scene; right—trayodaśī calendar vignette with monsoon; top—Moon in Maghā diagram, fine lines and labels","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, bustling pilgrimage townscape of Gayā, detailed architecture and river, donors distributing alms, night-sky inset with Moon and star asterism, delicate border illumination"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यद् + ददाति → यद्ददाति; गया-स्थम् + च → गयास्थञ्च; सर्वम् + आनन्त्यम् + उच्यते → सर्वमानन्त्यमुच्यते.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 163 (dāna-dharma and tīrtha-mahātmyas adjoining śrāddha material)
FAQs
It teaches dāna-vidhi by specifying high-yield contexts for charity: giving while at the tīrtha of Gayā, and giving on an auspicious tithi/nakṣatra combination (rainy-season Trayodaśī and Maghā).
It blends multiple knowledge domains—tīrtha-māhātmya (Gayā’s sanctity), dharma-śāstra style gift-merit doctrine (phala-śruti), and Jyotiṣa timing (tithi and nakṣatra)—showing how the Agni Purāṇa systematizes ritual practice with calendrical science.
It asserts that charity performed at Gayā or at these auspicious times produces “ānantya”—inexhaustible karmic merit—implying enduring spiritual benefit and strong purification through properly timed, properly placed giving.