Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 30
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
शूद्रभाजनभुक् विप्रः पञ्चगव्यादुपोषितः कन्दुपक्वं स्नेहपक्वं स्नेहं च दधिशक्तवः
śūdrabhājanabhuk vipraḥ pañcagavyādupoṣitaḥ kandupakvaṃ snehapakvaṃ snehaṃ ca dadhiśaktavaḥ
ശൂദ്രന്റെ പാത്രത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഭക്ഷിച്ച വിപ്രൻ പഞ്ചഗവ്യം ആശ്രയിച്ച് ഉപവാസം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം. (അനുമത ഭക്ഷണം) വെള്ളത്തിൽ വേവിച്ച കന്ദമൂലം, നെയ്യിൽ പാകം ചെയ്ത ആഹാരം, നെയ്യുതന്നെ, കൂടാതെ തൈരുമായി കലർത്തിയ സത്തു/യവാഗു സ്വീകരിക്കാം.
Lord Agni (in dialogue, teaching sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Defines expiation and permitted diet for a brāhmaṇa who has eaten from a śūdra’s vessel: fasting supported by pañcagavya and specific allowable foods (tubers, ghee-cooked items, ghee, barley-gruel with curd).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Dietary allowances during pañcagavya-fast after eating from a śūdra vessel","lookup_keywords":["śūdra-bhājana","pañcagavya-upavāsa","kanda-pakva","sneha","dadhī-śaktava"],"quick_summary":"After eating from a śūdra’s vessel, a brāhmaṇa should fast with pañcagavya support; permitted items include boiled tubers, ghee-cooked food, ghee, and barley-gruel mixed with curd."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: Purification is enacted through disciplined intake (āhāra-niyama) and fasting; food itself becomes a tool for restoring ritual order.
Application: When undertaking penance, follow a regulated, sattva-leaning diet that supports clarity and restraint; treat diet as part of ethical rehabilitation.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta (Purificatory Atonements) / Śuddhi-vidhi
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: jugupsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A brāhmaṇa in penance seated with a small pañcagavya bowl; nearby are simple permitted foods: boiled tubers, a ghee pot, and a bowl of barley gruel mixed with curd; the impure vessel is set aside.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: ascetic brāhmaṇa with pañcagavya cup, simple earthen bowls of tubers and barley gruel, ghee pot, subdued palette emphasizing austerity and purification.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central penitent figure with gold-leaf highlights on the ghee pot and ritual bowl; neatly arranged permitted foods; strong icon-like frontal composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional still-life arrangement labeled by food type (kanda-pakva, sneha, dadhi-śaktava), with the practitioner in calm fasting posture; fine linework and clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed kitchen-courtyard scene with vessels and foods; the penitent sits apart reading a small manuscript of rules; realistic textures of ghee, curd, and gruel."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पञ्चगव्यादुपोषितः = पञ्चगव्यात् + उपोषितः; दधिशक्तवः in text appears as coordination ‘दधि (and) शक्तवः’ (possible scribal sandhi/compaction).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (food-vessel impurity and expiations); Agni Purana sections where pañcagavya and fasting observances are enumerated
FAQs
It prescribes a specific prāyaścitta: fasting supported by pañcagavya, along with a restricted set of purificatory foods (kanda, ghee-cooked fare, ghee, and curd-mixed śaktu) for a brāhmaṇa who ate from a śūdra’s vessel.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purana catalogs practical dharma procedures—here, a concrete regimen of expiation, including precise dietary allowances—showing its coverage of ritual law and everyday purity observances.
The act is treated as a purity lapse; the fast and pañcagavya-based regimen functions as a ritual cleanser, aiming to neutralize the karmic and social-ritual impurity and restore the practitioner’s eligibility for Vedic rites.