Agni Purana — Ayurveda, Shloka 9
Chapter 291 — Śāntyāyurveda
Ayurveda for Pacificatory Rites): Go-śānti, Penance-Regimens, and Therapeutics (incl. Veterinary Care
कृच्छ्रातिकृच्छ्रं पयसा दिवसानेकविंशतिं निर्मलाः सर्वकामाप्त्या स्युर्गगाः स्पुर् नतोत्तमाः
kṛcchrātikṛcchraṃ payasā divasānekaviṃśatiṃ nirmalāḥ sarvakāmāptyā syurgagāḥ spur natottamāḥ
एकवीस दिवस दूधावर ‘कृच्छ्रातिकृच्छ्र’ व्रत केल्याने ते शुद्ध होतात; आणि सर्व कामना प्राप्त होऊन ते परम श्रेष्ठ, तेजस्वी होऊन आकाशात विचरतात.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, per Agni Purāṇa’s dominant frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Guidance for undertaking the Kṛcchrātikṛcchra with milk for 21 days as a graded expiation aimed at purification and merit-fruit.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Kṛcchrātikṛcchra (21-day milk-based expiation)","lookup_keywords":["kṛcchrātikṛcchra","payaḥ","ekaviṃśati-dina","prāyaścitta","śuddhi"],"quick_summary":"A 21-day regimen centered on milk is presented as a strong purifier; its fruit is described as fulfillment of aims and exalted post-mortem radiance."}
Dosha: Kapha
Concept: Sustained restraint (dīrgha-tapas) transforms the practitioner’s ‘tejas’ and karmic trajectory, expressed as purity and higher loka-gati.
Application: Commit to a fixed-duration discipline with a single regulated support-food, maintaining truthfulness, non-injury, and mental restraint alongside diet.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Vows)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An ascetic observes a long vow with a simple milk bowl, counting 21 days on a bead-string or tally marks; a luminous aura suggests increasing purity and radiance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, seated vrata-observer with pale milk vessel, 21 small day-symbols around, soft golden aura, restrained palette, temple-lamp nearby","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central figure with milk bowl, gold-leaf halo intensifying, decorative border with 21 motifs, symbolic ascent to heavens in background","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout: 21-day grid, figure drinking milk, annotations in Devanagari, gentle colors and precise outlines","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar-ascetic in a quiet garden pavilion, servant sets a small milk cup, calendar scroll showing 21 days, fine detailing"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kṛcchrātikṛcchraṃ = kṛcchra-ati-kṛcchram; divasānekaviṃśatiṃ = divasa-aneka-viṃśatim (intended ‘ekaviṃśati’); sarvakāmāptyā = sarva-kāma-āptyā; syurgagāḥ = syuḥ gagāḥ; natottamāḥ = nata-uttamāḥ; ‘spuḥ’ reading uncertain (possibly from √sphur).
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Kṛcchra varieties; phala-śruti for prāyaścitta
FAQs
It prescribes a specific expiatory observance—Kṛcchrātikṛcchra—performed with milk as the regulated diet for a fixed duration of twenty-one days to achieve ritual purification.
By cataloging precise vow-types, diets, and durations for expiation, it functions like a ritual manual within the Purāṇa—one of many practical domains (law, rites, vows) that make the Agni Purāṇa encyclopedic.
The verse links disciplined austerity to removal of impurity and to karmic fruition—purification and the successful attainment of aims—framing prāyaścitta as both cleansing and merit-producing.