Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 30
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
हविष्यान्नेन वै मासं पायसेन तु वत्सरं मात्स्यहारिणकौरभ्रशाकुनच्छागपार्षतैः
haviṣyānnena vai māsaṃ pāyasena tu vatsaraṃ mātsyahāriṇakaurabhraśākunacchāgapārṣataiḥ
ਹਵਿਸ਼੍ਯ ਅੰਨ ਨਾਲ ਇੱਕ ਮਹੀਨਾ ਨਿਯਮ ਰੱਖੋ, ਅਤੇ ਪਾਇਸ (ਦੁੱਧ-ਚੌਲ) ਨਾਲ ਇੱਕ ਸਾਲ। ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਨਿਯਮ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਮੱਛੀ, ਹਰਣ, ਵਰਾਹ, ਮੇਢਾ, ਪੰਛੀ, ਬੱਕਰਾ ਅਤੇ ਖਰਗੋਸ਼ ਆਦਿ ਮਨਜ਼ੂਰ ਆਹਾਰ ਹਨ।
Lord Agni (instructional narration to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Guiding dietary observances used in vow/expiation contexts: specifying durations (month/year) and permitted foods (haviṣyānna, pāyasa, and certain meats) according to rule.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Vrata-āhāra: haviṣyānna, pāyasa, and permitted meats (matsya–śaśa)","lookup_keywords":["haviṣyānna vrata","pāyasa niyama","matsya āhāra","mṛga-varāha meat rule","prāyaścitta diet"],"quick_summary":"For regulated observances, one may subsist on haviṣyānna for a month or pāyasa for a year; alternatively, specific meats are permitted as per the stated regimen."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: Niyama (regulated intake) supports vrata/prāyaścitta by aligning bodily conduct with dharmic intention.
Application: Choose a single approved dietary mode for the vowed period; maintain consistency and avoid indulgent variety that breaks the spirit of restraint.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Vrata-dana (Dietary observances and expiatory regimens)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vow-observer follows prescribed foods: a simple haviṣyānna plate, a bowl of pāyasa, and a separate panel listing permitted meats (fish, deer, boar, ram, bird, goat, hare) as symbolic icons.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized kitchen-ritual setting, devotee seated on mat with banana-leaf haviṣyānna, separate golden bowl of pāyasa, surrounding animal/fish motifs as emblematic permitted foods, calm ascetic mood","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, ornate vessels with gold work, pāyasa in a jeweled bowl, devotee with prayer beads, small medallions depicting fish, deer, boar, ram, bird, goat, hare around the border","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional plate: labeled drawings of haviṣyānna and pāyasa, plus a neat grid of permitted meats, emphasis on clarity and line precision","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined dining scene with minimal portions, scribe-like annotations naming foods, naturalistic rendering of fish and game animals in margins"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: हविष्य + अन्नेन → हविष्यान्नेन; शाकुन + छाग → शाकुनच्छाग (cch).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 163 (dietary rules adjacent to śrāddha/prāyaścitta sections)
FAQs
It specifies time-frames for expiatory/vrata-style dietary regimens: haviṣyānna is prescribed for a month, pāyasa for a year, and it lists additional allowable food-bases (fish and certain meats) within the same rule-framework.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana catalogs practical dharma procedures—here, precise durations and permitted foods for prāyaścitta and vrata discipline—showing it functions as a compact manual of ritual law and conduct.
Regulated eating over fixed periods is treated as a purificatory discipline: restraint and rule-bound consumption operate as prāyaścitta, mitigating impurity and supporting moral and ritual restoration.