Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 27
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
पञ्चगव्यं त्रिरान्ते पीत्वा चान्त्यजलं द्विजः मत्स्यकण्टकशम्बूकशङ्खशुक्तिकपर्दकान्
pañcagavyaṃ trirānte pītvā cāntyajalaṃ dvijaḥ matsyakaṇṭakaśambūkaśaṅkhaśuktikapardakān
ਇੱਕ ਦਵਿਜ ਨਿਯਤ ਅਵਧੀ ਦੇ ਅੰਤ ਤੇ ਤਿੰਨ ਵਾਰ ਪੰਚਗਵ੍ਯ ਪੀ ਕੇ ਅਤੇ ਅੰਤ੍ਯਜ-ਸੰਬੰਧਿਤ ਜਲ ਵੀ ਲੈ ਕੇ, ਮੱਛੀ ਦੇ ਕੰਡੇ/ਹੱਡੀਆਂ, ਘੋਂਘਾ, ਸ਼ੰਖ, ਸੀਪੀ ਦਾ ਖੋਲ ਅਤੇ ਕੌੜੀਆਂ ਦੇ (ਸੇਵਨ/ਸਪਰਸ਼) ਦੋਸ਼ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਾਯਸ਼ਚਿੱਤ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (in dialogue, narrating purificatory rules to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Specifies expiation involving pañcagavya and restricted water to atone for contact/consumption of certain shell/bone items considered impure for a dvija.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Pañcagavya-based expiation for impure aquatic remnants (bones/shells)","lookup_keywords":["pañcagavya","antyaja-jala","matsya-kaṇṭaka","śaṅkha-śukti","prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"A dvija atones by drinking pañcagavya three times at the end of the observance, along with water associated with an antyaja, for faults connected with fish-bones and certain shells/cowries."}
Concept: Purity rules extend to specific categories of food-remnants and animal products; expiation restores ritual fitness through regulated intake and restraint.
Application: For accidental transgression, follow a codified expiation rather than improvising; the text treats purity as a recoverable state via discipline.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta-vidhi (Ritual Atonements and Purification Rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: jugupsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dvija performing expiation: a small ritual setup with a bowl of pañcagavya, a water vessel, and symbolic depiction of fish-bones and shells set aside as impure items.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: priestly figure holding a small bowl labeled pañcagavya, beside stylized fish-bone and shell motifs, temple-courtyard setting, restrained palette, emphasis on purification rite.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate bowl with gold highlights, pañcagavya offering scene, symbolic shells (śaṅkha, śukti) rendered decoratively, devotional-purity aesthetic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: didactic panel showing three measured sips of pañcagavya (tripartite sequence), clean linework, soft shading, clear labeling of items (matsya-kaṇṭaka, śaṅkha).","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: scholar-priest supervising a dvija taking measured draughts from a cup; on a tray lie shells and cowries; fine textile and utensil detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: त्रिरान्ते = त्रिः + अन्ते; चान्त्यजलं = च + अन्त्यज + जलम्; final compound is dvandva enumeration.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (pañcagavya and śauca-related prāyaścittas)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific prāyaścitta: drinking pañcagavya three times at the conclusion of the observance, along with a stated ‘antyaja-water’ element, as expiation connected with impure/forbidden aquatic and shell substances (fish-bones, snails, conch, oyster-shell, cowries).
It exemplifies the text’s dharma-encyclopedia function by cataloging concrete impurity-cases (specific animals/shells and their parts) and pairing them with standardized ritual countermeasures (pañcagavya-based purification), alongside other domains covered elsewhere (iconography, polity, medicine, poetics).
The instruction frames purity-restoration: by undergoing the stated expiation, the dvija is ritually requalified for Vedic duties and communal rites, mitigating the karmic and social consequences of contact with or consumption of impure substances.