Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 50
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
नयेत् प्रेतं स्नापितञ्च पूजितं कुसुमैर् दहेत् नग्नदेहं दहेन् नैव किञ्चिद्देहं परित्यजेत्
nayet pretaṃ snāpitañca pūjitaṃ kusumair dahet nagnadehaṃ dahen naiva kiñciddehaṃ parityajet
मृतदेह स्नान घालून विधिपूर्वक पूजून, फुलांसह दहन करावा. नग्न देह जाळू नये आणि देहाचा कोणताही भाग मागे ठेवू नये।
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Step-by-step handling of the body for cremation: bathing, honoring, adorning with flowers, ensuring modest covering, and complete cremation without leaving remains.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Antyeṣṭi: bathing, honoring, flower-offering, and complete cremation of the body","lookup_keywords":["antyeṣṭi","śava-snāna","pujā","kusuma-dāha","aṅga-śeṣa"],"quick_summary":"Before cremation, bathe and honor the body and cremate it with flowers; do not cremate a naked body, and ensure no part of the body is left uncremated."}
Concept: Even in death, the body is treated with saṃskāra (dignified rite); completeness of the rite (no remnants) is part of ritual integrity.
Application: Use as a checklist for cremation preparation: wash, honor, cover appropriately, offer flowers, and ensure full cremation.
Khanda Section: Antyeshti-vidhi (Funeral Rites and Post-death Ritual Procedure)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cremation-ground preparation: the body is bathed, wrapped/covered, honored with flowers, and placed for cremation; attendants ensure no limb remains outside the pyre.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style at a śmaśāna: attendants bathing the body with ritual vessels, wrapping cloth, showering flowers, pyre ready, stylized flames and flat composition, solemn faces.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting: dignified antyeṣṭi scene with gold accents on ritual vessels and flower garlands, the covered body on a bier near the pyre, priests in traditional attire, ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: clear instructional depiction—steps shown sequentially (snāna, pūjā, vastra-āvṛti, kusuma, dāha), soft palette, fine linework, minimal background.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed riverside/cremation-ground setting, attendants with flower baskets, wrapped body, pyre with wood stacks, nuanced expressions, atmospheric smoke."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्नापितञ्च = स्नापितम् + च; कुसुमैर् = कुसुमैः (विसर्ग-लोप); दहेन् = दहेत् (पाठभेद/अनुस्वार-लोप); नैव = न + एव; किञ्चिद्देहम् = किञ्चित् + देहम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158.51 (placing on pyre; āhitāgni rule); Agni Purana 158 (general śauca/antyeṣṭi context)
FAQs
It gives procedural rules for antyeṣṭi: bathe and honor the body, adorn with flowers for cremation, ensure proper covering (not naked), and complete cremation without leaving any bodily portion behind.
Alongside theology and mythology, the Agni Purāṇa functions as a practical handbook by preserving detailed saṃskāra-vidhi (life-cycle rites), here specifying operational cremation norms within dharma and ritual practice.
Completing the rites with honor and completeness is treated as a dhārmic duty toward the departed, supporting ritual purity, proper transition of the preta, and avoidance of doṣa arising from negligence or incomplete last rites.