Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 42
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
विद्युदग्निहतानाञ्च त्र्यहं शुद्धिः सपिण्डिके पाषण्डाश्रिता भर्तृघ्न्यो नाशौचोदकगाः स्त्रियः
vidyudagnihatānāñca tryahaṃ śuddhiḥ sapiṇḍike pāṣaṇḍāśritā bhartṛghnyo nāśaucodakagāḥ striyaḥ
विद्युत् किंवा अग्नीने मृत झालेल्याच्या बाबतीत सपिंड नातलगांची शुद्धी तीन दिवसांची असते. पाषंडमताचा आश्रय घेणाऱ्या, पतीघातिनी, किंवा आशौच व उदकदान न पाळणाऱ्या स्त्रिया आशौच व तर्पणादि नियमित कर्मांस अधिकारिणी नाहीत।
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prayashchitta","practical_application":"Applying differentiated āśauca/purification rules for accidental deaths (lightning/fire) and determining ritual eligibility/exclusion for certain women under specified transgressive conditions.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Rule","entry_title":"Āśauca for lightning/fire deaths; exclusion from āśauca-udaka rites for certain women","lookup_keywords":["vidyut-hata","agni-hata","tryaha-śuddhi","sapiṇḍa","pāṣaṇḍa","bhartṛghnī","udaka"],"quick_summary":"For deaths by lightning or fire, sapiṇḍa relatives observe three days of purification; the verse also states that women characterized by heretical affiliation, husband-slaying, or non-observance of impurity and water-offerings are not entitled to the regular āśauca/udaka rites."}
Concept: Ritual impurity is graded by death-cause and kinship (sapiṇḍa), and ritual entitlements are conditioned by adherence to dharma norms.
Application: Helps officiants/families decide āśauca length after accidental deaths and interpret who may participate in or receive standard libation-linked observances per the text’s normative framework.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Ashaucha-vidhi (Impurity and purification rules)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two-part legal-ritual scene: (1) relatives performing three-day purification after a lightning/fire death; (2) a priest delineating eligibility boundaries for āśauca and udaka rites, with symbolic markers of pāṣaṇḍa affiliation and transgression.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, left panel shows a lightning-struck scene and a fire-accident scene with mourners; right panel shows a priest at a threshold gesture indicating exclusion from rites, stylized symbols for heterodox sect and broken water-offering vessel","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted ritual vessels and kuśa, three-day purification implied by three lamps, priest instructing sapiṇḍas; secondary vignette shows a barred entry to ritual space for ineligible participants, ornate borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic chart-like composition: causes of death (vidyut/agni) with '3 days' indicated by three marks, and a separate box for exclusions (pāṣaṇḍa, bhartṛghnī, udaka-tyāga), clean linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed domestic courtyard with priest and family, separate vignette of lightning/fire incident, subtle legalistic gesture of refusal at a doorway, refined faces and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: hatānāñca = hatānām + ca; vidyudagnihatānām = vidyut + agni + hatānām; pāṣaṇḍāśritā = pāṣaṇḍa + āśritāḥ; nāśaucodakagāḥ = na + aśauca-udaka-gāḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158.41 (baseline three-night āśauca and day-wise rites)
FAQs
It specifies the śuddhi (purification/impurity-ending) duration—three days—for sapiṇḍa relatives when death occurs by lightning or fire, and it delineates categories of women treated as outside the standard ashaucha-and-udaka framework.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical dharma-shāstra material—precise impurity periods and eligibility rules for funerary observances—showing its coverage of social-ritual law.
By fixing time-bound purification and eligibility for udaka/ashaucha rites, the verse frames death-ritual conduct as karmically consequential—maintaining ritual order (śuddhi) and proper ancestral obligations (libations) within the kin group.