Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 27
प्रायश्चित्तानि (Expiations) — Association-Impurity, Purification Rites, and Graded Penance
स्पर्शसङ्कल्पभूषिता इति झ संसृष्ट इति क यदेति ख , ग , घ , ङ , छ च उपोष्य रजनीमेकां पञ्चगव्येन शुद्ध्यति वैश्येन क्षत्रियेणैव स्नानं नक्तं समाचरेत्
sparśasaṅkalpabhūṣitā iti jha saṃsṛṣṭa iti ka yadeti kha , ga , gha , ṅa , cha ca upoṣya rajanīmekāṃ pañcagavyena śuddhyati vaiśyena kṣatriyeṇaiva snānaṃ naktaṃ samācaret
‘സ്പർശസമയത്തെ സംकल्पംകൊണ്ട് അലങ്കൃതം’ എന്നും ‘സംസൃഷ്ടം/കലർന്നത്’ എന്നും ‘അങ്ങനെ ആണെങ്കിൽ’ തുടങ്ങിയ സാഹചര്യങ്ങളിൽ—ഒരു രാത്രി ഉപവസിച്ച് പഞ്ചഗവ്യം സ്വീകരിച്ചാൽ ശുദ്ധി ലഭിക്കുന്നു; വൈശ്യനും ക്ഷത്രിയനും വിധിപ്രകാരം നക്തസ്നാനം (സന്ധ്യാസ്നാനം) ആചരിക്കണം।
Lord Agni (in instruction to Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purāṇa’s didactic frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Operational rule for purification after contact/contamination: fasting for a night and cleansing with pañcagavya; specifies observance (night-bath) for Vaiśya/Kṣatriya.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Ekā-rātri upavāsa and pañcagavya-śuddhi; naktasnānācāra","lookup_keywords":["pañcagavya","ekarātri-upavāsa","naktasnānā","śuddhi-vidhi","sparśa-doṣa"],"quick_summary":"A one-night fast followed by pañcagavya effects purification for certain contaminations; Vaiśya and Kṣatriya are enjoined to perform the prescribed night-bath as part of the observance."}
Concept: Purity is restored through regulated conduct (upavāsa, snāna) and sanctioned purifiers (pañcagavya).
Application: When śauca is compromised, follow the minimal expiation: one-night fast, pañcagavya intake, and prescribed bathing discipline before resuming rites.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Shauca-prakarana (Purification rites and expiations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A practitioner completes an overnight fast, then receives pañcagavya and performs evening bath as a formal purification.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, riverside at dusk, figure holding kamaṇḍalu, attendant offering pañcagavya in a small bowl, subdued twilight palette, ritual calm.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, ornate vessels with gold highlights, cow motif subtly in background, central figure performing naktasnānā, devotional yet procedural composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, step-by-step instructional tableau: fasting (moon/night) → pañcagavya intake → evening bath, clear outlines and captions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed bath-ghat scene at evening, refined textiles, small bowl of pañcagavya, marginal annotations indicating ekarātri and śuddhi."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":null,"pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: रजनीमेकां = रजनीम् एकाम्; क्षत्रियेणैव = क्षत्रियेण एव. प्रारम्भे ‘इति झ/क/ख…’ इत्यादि पाठभेद-चिह्नानि (manuscript markers) इव दृश्यन्ते; अर्थ-व्याकरणे न प्रवर्तन्ते.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 170 (Śauca-prakaraṇa: pañcagavya and fasting rules)
FAQs
It prescribes a śauca/prāyaścitta procedure: fasting for one night and purification by pañcagavya, along with the observance of evening (nakta) bathing for Vaiśyas and Kṣatriyas.
Alongside theology and myth, the Agni Purāṇa catalogues practical dharma topics—here, detailed rules of ritual purity, caste-linked observances, and expiatory cleansing methods used in lived religious practice.
It frames bodily and mental purity (touch plus intention) as karmically relevant, and offers a concrete remedial act—fasting, pañcagavya, and prescribed bathing—to remove impurity and restore ritual eligibility.