Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 4
Ācāra
Right Conduct
क्रियास्नानं तथा षष्ठं षोढास्नानं प्रकीर्तितं अस्नातस्याफलं कर्म प्रातःस्नानं चरेत्ततः
kriyāsnānaṃ tathā ṣaṣṭhaṃ ṣoḍhāsnānaṃ prakīrtitaṃ asnātasyāphalaṃ karma prātaḥsnānaṃ carettataḥ
Demikianlah yang keenam dinyatakan sebagai ‘kriyā-snāna’ (mandi ritual), dan ‘ṣoḍhā-snāna’ (mandi dalam enam belas cara) juga diajarkan. Bagi orang yang belum mandi, perbuatan ritual tidak membuahkan hasil; maka hendaklah dilakukan mandi pagi.
Lord Agni (narrating to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Establishes bathing as a prerequisite for ritual efficacy; points to specific bath-taxonomies (kriyā-snāna; ṣoḍhā-snāna) and mandates morning bath.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Snāna-niyama: kriyā-snāna, ṣoḍhā-snāna, and the necessity of prātaḥ-snāna","lookup_keywords":["kriyā-snāna","ṣoḍhā-snāna","prātaḥ-snāna","asnāta","karma-phala"],"quick_summary":"Bathing is taught in classified modes (including kriyā-snāna and sixteenfold snāna). Without bathing, ritual acts are fruitless; therefore one should bathe in the morning before rites."}
Concept: Adhikāra (eligibility) for karma depends on śuddhi; snāna is a gatekeeping purification for ritual fruit.
Application: Schedule prātaḥ-snāna before japa, homa, pūjā, sandhyā; treat bathing as part of the rite’s limb (aṅga).
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Snana-vidhi / Shaucha-ācāra)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dawn bathing scene at a ghat or household bathing area, with a teacher-like figure indicating ‘kriyā-snāna’ and ‘ṣoḍhā-snāna’ as categorized practices; emphasis that unbathed ritual is ineffective.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, riverbank at dawn with stylized waves, figure performing snāna with water pot, a palm-leaf manuscript motif indicating classifications (kriyā-snāna, ṣoḍhā-snāna), warm sunrise palette, iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, golden sunrise over a ghat, central bather with ornate vessels, gold leaf on water highlights, small inscription cartouches for ‘kriyā-snāna’ and ‘ṣoḍhā-snāna’, devotional yet didactic","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional scene: stepwise bathing postures and implements, clean architectural ghat lines, soft colors, emphasis on morning timing and ritual readiness","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed ghat architecture, dawn sky gradient, figure bathing with attendants holding towels and water pot, marginal notes indicating bath categories, fine realism"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अस्नातस्याफलम् = अस्नातस्य + अफलम्; प्रातःस्नानम् = प्रातः + स्नानम्; carettataḥ = चरेत् + ततः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana snāna-vidhi and śauca-ācāra sections; tirtha-snāna discussions in nearby verses
FAQs
It teaches snāna-vidhi as a prerequisite for rites: ritual actions are considered ineffective without prior bathing, and it highlights specific classified baths such as kriyā-snāna and ṣoḍhā-snāna.
By cataloging and systematizing everyday religious discipline (shauca and snāna classifications), it preserves practical procedural knowledge alongside the Purana’s broader coverage of worship, law, polity, medicine, and arts.
The verse asserts that bodily-ritual purity (through morning bathing) is essential for karmic fruition—without it, religious acts are treated as spiritually fruitless.