Agni Purana — Raja-dharma, Shloka 5
Prātyahika-Rāja-Karma
Daily Duties of a King
वह्नौ पवित्रान् जुहुयात् तर्पयेदुदकैः पितॄन् बहुक्षयव्ययायामिति ख , छ , ट च आसीनः कर्मविच्छेदमित्यादिः, राजा समाश्रयेदित्यन्तः पाठः ज पुस्तके नास्ति दद्यात्सकाञ्चीं धेनुं द्विजाशीर्वादसंयुतः
vahnau pavitrān juhuyāt tarpayedudakaiḥ pitṝn bahukṣayavyayāyāmiti kha , cha , ṭa ca āsīnaḥ karmavicchedamityādiḥ, rājā samāśrayedityantaḥ pāṭhaḥ ja pustake nāsti dadyātsakāñcīṃ dhenuṃ dvijāśīrvādasaṃyutaḥ
अग्नीत पवित्र द्रव्यांची आहुती द्यावी व उदकाने पितरांचे तर्पण करावे; नंतर द्विजांच्या आशीर्वादासह काञ्चीधारी धेनूचे दान करावे।
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) to Vasiṣṭha (implied frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Householder/royal ritual protocol: homa with purifying offerings, pitṛ-tarpaṇa, and dāna (cow-gift) to secure auspiciousness, expiation, and social-religious merit; also notes textual variants for correct recitation.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Homa, Pitṛ-tarpaṇa, and Cow-Gift (Dhenudāna) with Recensional Variants","lookup_keywords":["homa","pavitra-dravya","pitṛ-tarpaṇa","dhenudāna","pāṭha-bheda"],"quick_summary":"Offer purifying oblations into fire, perform water-libations to ancestors, and conclude with gifting an ornamented cow with brāhmaṇa blessings; be attentive to manuscript variants in the rite-text."}
Concept: Yajña–tarpaṇa–dāna triad: purification, ancestral obligation, and generosity sustain dharmic prosperity; correct wording matters in ritual efficacy.
Application: Maintain a standardized ritual manual while noting accepted variants; ensure dāna is accompanied by learned blessings and proper intention (saṅkalpa).
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Śrāddha, Homa, Dāna-vidhi)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Bhakti
Type: Ritual enclosure
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual hall with a blazing fire altar; the king/priest offers purifying oblations, then pours water for pitṛ-tarpaṇa; finally a decorated cow with a waist-belt is gifted to a brāhmaṇa who pronounces blessings; marginal scribes note variant readings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, yajña-śālā with homa-kuṇḍa flames, priest and king offering ladles of ghee, pitṛ-tarpaṇa with water in cupped hands, decorated cow with ornate belt, brāhmaṇas giving āśīrvāda, palm-leaf manuscript margin showing pāṭha-bheda","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf fire altar and ritual vessels, richly adorned cow with jeweled waist-belt, brāhmaṇa receiving dāna with blessing gesture, luminous flames and embossed ornaments","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear didactic layout: homa sequence, tarpaṇa posture, then dhenudāna handover; fine detailing of ritual implements (sruk, kamaṇḍalu, kuśa)","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, court-sponsored yajña scene with attendants, fire altar, water libation to ancestors, gifting of a decorated cow to a scholar; scribes with manuscripts indicating variant lines"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Raga Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tarpayedudakaiḥ → तर्पयेत् उदकैः; dadyātsakāñcīṃ → दद्यात् स-काञ्चीम्. The bracketed manuscript notes (kha/cha/ṭa etc.) are editorial and excluded from pada analysis.
Related Themes: Agni Purana dāna-vidhi sections (cow-gifts and their fruits); Agni Purana śrāddha/tarpaṇa passages; Agni Purana homa procedures and dravya lists
FAQs
It prescribes a combined rite: homa of purifying offerings into Agni, tarpana (water-libations) to the Pitṛs, and concluding dāna—specifically gifting an adorned cow with Brahmin benedictions.
It functions as a compact ritual handbook entry, integrating fire-ritual technique, ancestor-propitiation, and charity norms, while also preserving recensional notes—showing the text’s breadth (dharma + ritual practice + transmission history).
Homa and tarpana are framed as purification and ancestral satisfaction, while cow-gift with Brahmin blessings is a merit-generating act (puṇya) intended to stabilize dharma and mitigate ritual or karmic deficits.