Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 32
Mahāpātaka-ādi-kathana
Account of the Great Sins) — concluding note incl. ‘Mārjāra-vadha’ (killing of a cat
मणिमुक्ताप्रवालानां ताम्रस्य रजतस्य च अयःकांस्योपलानाञ्च द्वादशाहं कणान्नभुक्
maṇimuktāpravālānāṃ tāmrasya rajatasya ca ayaḥkāṃsyopalānāñca dvādaśāhaṃ kaṇānnabhuk
മണി, മുത്ത്, പ്രവാളം, ചെമ്പ്, വെള്ളി എന്നിവയും ഇരുമ്പ്, കാംസം, കല്ലുകൾ മുതലായവയും (ഭക്ഷിച്ചതാൽ ഉണ്ടായ) ദോഷത്തിന് പന്ത്രണ്ടുദിവസം കണാന്നം (ലളിത ധാന്യാഹാരം) മാത്രം ആശ്രയിച്ച് പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം ചെയ്യണം।
Lord Agni (in instruction to sage Vasiṣṭha, the standard Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Dietary expiation (prāyaścitta) for impurity incurred by ingesting prohibited/impure substances; prescribes duration and austerity-food.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Dvādaśāha-prāyaścitta for consuming metals, gems, and stones (kaṇānna-bhojana)","lookup_keywords":["dvādaśāha","kaṇānna","aśauca","loha-tāmra-rajata","maṇi-muktā-pravāla"],"quick_summary":"For impurity from consuming gems/metals/stones, observe a 12-day penance sustained on kaṇānna (plain grains). The entry fixes both duration and the simplifying diet."}
Concept: Śuddhi through regulated austerity and controlled diet after transgressive consumption.
Application: Adopt time-bound fasting/limited diet as a corrective discipline to restore ritual purity.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta (Atonements and Purificatory Observances)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic householder observing a twelve-day penance, seated on a simple mat, eating a small bowl of plain grains; nearby are symbolic items—gem, pearl, coral, copper, silver, iron, bell-metal, and stones—kept aside as the cause of impurity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and ochres, a penitent in white cloth seated in a simple hut, small bowl of kaṇānna, arranged symbols of maṇi, muktā, pravāla, tāmra, rajata, ayas, kāṃsya, upala; calm śānta mood, flat decorative foliage border.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central penitent with serene face, gold-leaf halo-like arch motif, ornate but restrained setting; foreground bowl of grains; small gilded icons of gem/pearl/coral/metals/stones placed to the side; rich reds and greens, devotional austerity theme.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework, instructional composition: labeled objects (gem, pearl, coral, copper, silver, iron, bell-metal, stones) and a 12-day tally; penitent eating kaṇānna; soft pastel palette, minimal background.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly yet didactic scene: a scholar-priest advising a householder; the penitent eats plain grains; meticulous rendering of minerals/metals on a tray; architectural niche background, delicate textiles, subdued palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मणिमुक्ताप्रवालानाम् = मणि-मुक्ता-प्रवालानाम् (द्वन्द्व); अयःकांस्योपलानाञ्च = अयः-कांस्य-उपलानाम् + च; द्वादशाहं = द्वादश + अहम्(=अहम् न, अहम् इति न) → द्वादश + अहम्? here aham = ahan (अहन्) accusative singular ‘अहम्’ orthography in text; कणान्नभुक् = कण-अन्न-भुक्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Prāyaścitta-khaṇḍa: sections on kṛcchra, cāndrāyaṇa, śāntapana, and food-based expiations
FAQs
It prescribes a specific prāyaścitta: a twelve-day observance sustained on kaṇānna (plain grain-food) as expiation for the impurity associated with consuming/ingesting certain valuables and metals (gems, pearls, coral, copper, silver, iron, bell-metal) and stones.
It exemplifies the Agni Purāṇa’s dharma-practical cataloging of real-world contingencies—dietary/accidental ingestion and ritual impurity—alongside its many other domains (ritual, law, polity, medicine, arts), thus functioning as a compendium of applied religious regulation.
The twelve-day regulated diet serves as a purificatory discipline (tapas) intended to neutralize the karmic and ritual taint (aśauca/doṣa) arising from improper consumption, restoring eligibility for rites and personal purity.