Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 5
Chapter 174 — प्रायश्चित्तानि
Expiations
अङ्कुरार्पणमात्रन्तु छिन्नं भिन्नं परित्यजेत् अस्पृश्यैश् चैव संस्पृष्टे अन्यपात्रे तदर्पणं
aṅkurārpaṇamātrantu chinnaṃ bhinnaṃ parityajet aspṛśyaiś caiva saṃspṛṣṭe anyapātre tadarpaṇaṃ
ଅଙ୍କୁର ମାତ୍ର ଅର୍ପଣ ଥିଲେ, ତାହା କଟା କିମ୍ବା ଭାଙ୍ଗା ହେଲେ ତ୍ୟାଗ କରିବ। ଏବଂ ଯଦି ଅସ୍ପୃଶ୍ୟ ଦ୍ୱାରା ସ୍ପୃଷ୍ଟ ହୋଇଥାଏ, ତେବେ ସେଇ ଅର୍ପଣକୁ ଅନ୍ୟ ପାତ୍ରରେ ରଖିବ।
Lord Agni (instructing sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s ritual-vidhi sections)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Rules for handling fragile sprout-offerings and impurity contact: discard damaged sprouts; if touched by an impure/untouchable person, segregate by transferring to a different vessel to avoid contaminating the main offering set.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Śuddhi Rules for Aṅkura (Sprout) Offerings and Impure Contact","lookup_keywords":["aṅkura-arpana","chinna-bhinna","aspr̥śya-saṃsparśa","anya-pātra","naivedya-śuddhi"],"quick_summary":"Sprout-only offerings must be intact; if cut/broken, discard. If contacted by an impure person, isolate by placing that offering in a separate vessel to maintain overall ritual purity."}
Concept: Purity is preserved through integrity (akhaṇḍatā) of offerings and through segregation (pātra-bheda) when contamination occurs.
Application: Keep spare vessels; if contamination happens, isolate rather than spreading impurity across the entire offering set.
Khanda Section: Puja-vidhi (Ritual Procedure and Offerings)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A tray of fresh green sprouts prepared for offering; some are broken and set aside for discard. Another portion, after being touched by an impure person, is transferred into a separate vessel while the main offering remains uncontaminated.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized green sprouts on banana leaf, priest discarding broken sprouts, separate vessel placed aside for touched offering, sanctum lamp glow, strong outlines and flat color fields","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ornate offering vessels with gold accents, bright green sprouts, priest’s hand transferring sprouts to a different bowl, deity framed in gold arch, rich textile backdrop","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean didactic still-life: intact sprouts vs broken sprouts, two labeled vessels conceptually, priest demonstrating transfer to anya-pātra; fine detailing and soft tones","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, close attention to bowls and textures of sprouts, a figure indicating accidental touch, priest calmly segregating into another vessel, architectural shrine niche in background"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अङ्कुरार्पणमात्रन्तु = अङ्कुर-अर्पण-मात्रम् + तु; चैव = च + एव; तदर्पणं = तद्-अर्पणम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana Puja-vidhi: naivedya/arpana rules and pātra-śuddhi; Agni Purana prāyaścitta for food/offerings contamination
FAQs
It gives practical puja-vidhi: sprouts meant for offering must be rejected if damaged, and if contaminated by impure touch they must be re-offered using a separate/other vessel to preserve ritual cleanliness.
Beyond theology, it preserves operational temple-and-household worship protocols—fine-grained rules about acceptable offering condition, contact contamination, and corrective handling—showing the text’s compendium-like coverage of ritual law and procedure.
Maintaining purity of offerings safeguards the integrity of worship (śuddhi) and avoids doṣa (ritual fault), supporting merit (puṇya) by ensuring the deity receives an uncontaminated, properly presented offering.