Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 31
Mahāpātaka-ādi-kathana
Account of the Great Sins) — concluding note incl. ‘Mārjāra-vadha’ (killing of a cat
तृणकाष्ठद्रुमाणान्तु शुष्कान्नस्य गुडस्य च चेलचर्मामिषाणान्तु त्रिरात्रं स्यादभोजनं
tṛṇakāṣṭhadrumāṇāntu śuṣkānnasya guḍasya ca celacarmāmiṣāṇāntu trirātraṃ syādabhojanaṃ
പുല്ല്, വിറക്, മരങ്ങൾ, ഉണങ്ങിയ ഭക്ഷണം, ശർക്കര, വസ്ത്രം, തോൽ, മാംസം എന്നിവ മോഷ്ടിച്ചാൽ മൂന്നു രാത്രി ഉപവാസമെടുക്കണം.
Lord Agni (in discourse to the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Applying a three-night fast (trirātra abhojana) as expiation for specified defilements/contacts involving common materials and foods (grass/wood/trees, dried food, jaggery, cloth, leather, meat).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Trirātra-abhojana for specified materials/foods (śauca-prāyaścitta)","lookup_keywords":["trirātra","abhojana","tṛṇa-kāṣṭha-druma","guḍa","caila-carma-āmiṣa"],"quick_summary":"For certain contacts/impurities involving everyday materials and foods, the text prescribes abstention from eating for three nights as a standard purificatory expiation."}
Concept: Bodily restraint (upavāsa/abhojana) functions as a purificatory sādhanā to counteract impurity and moral lapse.
Application: Undertake a defined, time-limited fast as a reset of habits and as a marker of accountability, paired with mindful conduct.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta & Śauca-vidhi (Expiations and Purificatory Rules)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent observing a three-night fast: sitting calmly with a water-pot, avoiding food; surrounding symbolic items—grass/wood, dried grains, jaggery, cloth, leather, meat—indicate the triggers for the expiation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, ascetic seated with kamaṇḍalu, minimal setting; symbolic objects arranged in a decorative band; subdued palette emphasizing restraint and purity.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central fasting figure with gold halo-like arch; ritual water-pot; small vignettes of cloth/leather/meat and dried food; rich colors with solemn mood.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean instructional composition: ‘three nights’ suggested by three lamps or three moons; fasting figure in profile; fine linework and gentle shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, quiet interior with fasting observer, attendants offering food being refused; detailed still-life of jaggery and dried grains; night-sky cues across three panels."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तृणकाष्ठद्रुमाणान्तु → तृणकाष्ठद्रुमाणाम् + तु; चेलचर्मामिषाणान्तु → चेलचर्मामिषाणाम् + तु; स्यादभोजनम् → स्यात् + अभोजनम् (त् + अ → द).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 169 (śauca rules; fasting-based prāyaścitta)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific prāyaścitta: a three-night fast (trirātra-abhojana) as the remedial observance connected with impurity/prohibited involvement regarding items like dried food, jaggery, cloth, leather, and meat.
By codifying practical dharma procedures—graded expiations and fasting rules—the Agni Purana functions as a reference manual of ritual law and daily-life regulation alongside its theology and other sciences.
A three-night fast is presented as a purificatory discipline that mitigates doṣa (ritual/ethical fault) and helps restore śauca (purity) and adhikāra (fitness) for religious conduct.