Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 19
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
अनुपाकृटमांसानि देवान्नानि हवींषि च गवाञ्च महिषीणां च वर्जयित्वा तथाप्यजां
anupākṛṭamāṃsāni devānnāni havīṃṣi ca gavāñca mahiṣīṇāṃ ca varjayitvā tathāpyajāṃ
ਜੋ ਮਾਸ ਢੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਤਿਆਰ ਨਾ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੋਵੇ, ਦੇਵਤਿਆਂ ਲਈ ਨਿਯਤ ਅੰਨ ਅਤੇ ਹਵਿਸ (ਯੱਗ ਆਹੁਤੀ) ਤੋਂ ਪਰਹੇਜ਼ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ; ਗਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਭੈਂਸ ਦਾ ਮਾਸ ਵੀ ਤਿਆਗਯੋਗ ਹੈ—ਪਰ ਕੁਝ ਸੰਦਰਭਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਜਾ (ਬੱਕਰੀ) ਮਨਜ਼ੂਰ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (in instruction to Sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Guides dietary restraint: avoiding improper meat and sacred/ritual foods; specifies animal-flesh prohibitions with a conditional allowance for goat depending on context.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Ahara-niyama: prohibited meats and sacred foods; conditional goat allowance","lookup_keywords":["anupākṛta-māṃsa","devānna","havis","go-mahiṣa-māṃsa","ajā"],"quick_summary":"Avoid improperly prepared meat and foods reserved for deities/sacrifice; abstain from cow and buffalo flesh. Goat meat may be permitted in specified traditional contexts."}
Dosha: Tridosha
Concept: Śauca and maryādā in eating—distinguishing ordinary food from devānna/havis; ahiṃsā-related hierarchy of meats.
Application: Maintains ritual integrity (not consuming offerings/oblations) and social-ethical norms regarding protected animals.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Ahara-niyama (Dietary and ritual food restrictions)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A household scene: a ritual altar with havis and devānna set aside, while a cook rejects improperly prepared meat; a separate depiction shows cow and buffalo protected, with a goat indicated as conditionally permissible.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized yajña-vedi with offerings, priest gesturing prohibition, cook turning away a meat tray, cow and buffalo shown respectfully, muted didactic palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-highlighted altar vessels and offering plates, priestly figure indicating 'do not consume', protective aura around cow and buffalo, goat shown at margin as conditional allowance.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear instructional tableau: labeled sections 'devānna/havis' vs 'ordinary food', cook demonstrating proper preparation, emphasis on rule-based separation.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed domestic-ritual interior, fine rendering of sacrificial implements and food trays, gestures of refusal, animals depicted with naturalism, marginal notes in calligraphy."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gavāñca = गवाम् + च; tathāpyajāṃ = तथा + अपि + अजाम्; anupākṛṭamāṃsāni = अनु + पाकृत + मांसानि (समास)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 168 (dietary prohibitions and permissions sequence)
FAQs
It lays down a practical rule of ritual purity: avoid consuming offerings meant for the gods (naivedya), sacrificial oblations (havis), and prohibited meats (cow and buffalo), while indicating a conditional allowance of goat in certain sanctioned contexts.
Alongside theology and myth, the Agni Purana also codifies conduct—here, concrete dietary and offering-related regulations—showing its coverage of dharma, ritual procedure, and purity norms as a compendium of applied religious life.
By avoiding what is reserved for divine worship and what is ritually/proscriptively impure, one preserves śauca (purity) and avoids pratyavāya (ritual fault), thereby protecting merit (puṇya) and the efficacy of religious observance.