Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 18
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
चतुर्थे पञ्चमे चैव सप्तमे नवमे तथा अस्थिसञ्चयनं कार्यं वर्णानामनुपूर्वशः
caturthe pañcame caiva saptame navame tathā asthisañcayanaṃ kāryaṃ varṇānāmanupūrvaśaḥ
चौथ्या, पाचव्या, सातव्या व नवव्या दिवशीही अस्थिसंचयनाचा विधी करावा; तो चारही वर्णांसाठी अनुक्रमे ठरविला आहे.
Lord Agni (narrating the rites to a sage, traditionally Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Scheduling and performing asthi-sañcayana (collection of cremation-bones) on prescribed days, with varṇa-wise order as per gṛhya/dharma norms.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Asthi-sañcayana: prescribed days and varṇa-order","lookup_keywords":["asthi-sañcayana","antyeṣṭi","4th day 5th day 7th day 9th day","varṇa order","post-cremation rites"],"quick_summary":"Collect the remaining bones after cremation on the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 9th days; follow the traditional sequence appropriate to the four varṇas."}
Concept: Saṃskāra as social-religious order: honoring the dead through regulated post-cremation observances.
Application: Maintain calendrical discipline in mourning rites to ensure śuddhi and proper transition of preta-to-pitṛ status in customary frameworks.
Khanda Section: Antyeshti-vidhi (Funeral rites and post-cremation observances)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Family members at the cremation-ground on a prescribed day, reverently collecting bone-fragments (asthi) into a clean vessel, preparing for later immersion, with a priest guiding the sequence.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and ochres, solemn antyeṣṭi scene: priest in white guiding asthi-sañcayana, relatives holding a brass vessel with bone-fragments, stylized cremation-ground trees, minimal background, devotional restraint.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style with gold work: ritual scene of asthi collection, priest and yajamāna with ornate borders, gold-highlighted ritual vessels (kalaśa, pātra), dignified faces, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework: instructional depiction of asthi-sañcayana steps—day markers (4/5/7/9) shown as small panels, priest indicating order, labeled ritual items, calm palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed cremation-ground vignette with attendants, priest reading from a palm-leaf, bone collection into a small container, naturalistic trees and ground textures, subdued colors, intimate solemn mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चैव = च + एव; वर्णानामनुपूर्वशः = वर्णानाम् + अनुपूर्वशः; अस्थिसञ्चयनम् treated as compound asthi-saṃcayanam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (Antyeṣṭi-vidhi context)
FAQs
It prescribes the timing for asthi-sañcayana (post-cremation bone collection)—to be done on the 4th, 5th, 7th, or 9th day—according to the appropriate varṇa-based order.
Alongside theology and myth, the Agni Purana records practical dharma-ritual procedures (samskāras) such as funeral and post-funeral rites, functioning like a ritual manual embedded within a Purāṇic compendium.
Correctly timed asthi-sañcayana is treated as a purificatory duty that supports orderly completion of antyeṣṭi observances, aiding the deceased’s onward rites and the living family’s ritual cleansing.