Agni Purana — Vyavahara, Shloka 22
Chapter 255: दायविभागकथनम्
On the Division of Inheritance
पत्नी दुहितरश् चैव पितरो भ्रातरस् तथा तत्सुतो गोत्रजो बन्धुः शिष्यः सब्रह्मचारिणः
patnī duhitaraś caiva pitaro bhrātaras tathā tatsuto gotrajo bandhuḥ śiṣyaḥ sabrahmacāriṇaḥ
ਪਤਨੀ, ਧੀਆਂ, ਮਾਤਾ-ਪਿਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਭਰਾ; ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਪੁੱਤਰ, ਇੱਕੋ ਗੋਤ੍ਰ ਦਾ ਕੁਟੁੰਬੀ, ਹੋਰ ਬੰਧੂ, ਸ਼ਿਸ਼੍ਯ ਅਤੇ ਸਹ-ਬ੍ਰਹਮਚਾਰੀ—ਇਹ (ਉੱਤਰਾਧਿਕਾਰੀ) ਮੰਨੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ।
Lord Agni (teaching sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Determining eligible relations for śrāddha-related participation/entitlement and for ritual hospitality (who may be invited, fed, or treated as a rightful claimant in rites).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Śrāddha-sambandhī yogyāḥ (Eligible relations: wife, daughters, parents, brothers, etc.)","lookup_keywords":["śrāddha","yogya-sambandhi","gotraja","bandhu","śiṣya"],"quick_summary":"Enumerates the circle of close kin and quasi-kin (disciple, fellow brahmacārin) recognized as legitimate relations in śrāddha context and allied dharma dealings."}
Concept: Dharma recognizes graded relational proximity (sapinda/gotraja/bandhu) and also dharmic bonds (guru-śiṣya, sabrahmacārin) as socially operative ties.
Application: Use the list to decide who counts as ‘one’s own’ for śrāddha invitations, ritual feeding, and allied duties of support/recognition.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Śrāddha-vidhi (rules of ritual offerings to ancestors and eligible relations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A śrāddha setting where the householder identifies and welcomes eligible relations—wife, daughters, parents, brothers, a gotra-kinsman, a relative, a disciple, and a fellow student—seated in orderly rows near ritual vessels.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, warm earthy palette, a gṛhastha performing śrāddha with pitṛ-tarpaṇa vessels, surrounding figures labeled by relationship (patnī, duhitṛ, pitṛ, bhrātṛ, gotraja, bandhu, śiṣya, sabrahmacārin), stylized faces, temple-like interior, flat perspective, ornamental borders","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central householder with śrāddha vessels and banana-leaf meal arrangement, gold-leaf highlights on ritual pots and ornaments, surrounding family members and disciple in symmetrical composition, rich reds and greens, embossed detailing","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional tableau of śrāddha hospitality: neatly arranged seating order of eligible relations, fine linework, soft shading, clear labels, ritual implements (kuśa, arghya-pātra), calm domestic setting","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly domestic interior with detailed textiles, a Brahmin householder consulting a list while welcoming kin and disciple, precise facial portraits, delicate architecture, subdued colors with fine brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दुहितरश्→दुहितरः (श् before च); चैव→च + एव; तत्सुतो→तत् + सुतः; सब्रह्मचारिणः→स + ब्रह्मचारिणः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 255 (Śrāddha-vidhi and sambandha-nirṇaya); Agni Purana 256 (related vyavahāra/dāya-bhāga topics, if continued)
FAQs
It enumerates kinship and social categories recognized as relevant/eligible relations in the Śrāddha (ancestral offering) context—spouse, daughters, parents, brothers, sons, same-gotra kin, relatives, disciple, and fellow student.
By cataloging precise social-ritual classifications (gotra, bandhu, śiṣya, sahabrahmacārin) used in Dharma and Śrāddha procedure, it demonstrates the text’s practical coverage of household law, ritual eligibility, and lineage ethics alongside theology.
Correctly recognizing and honoring the appropriate relations within Śrāddha supports ancestral satisfaction (pitṛ-tṛpti) and is treated as a merit-bearing act that sustains lineage duties (kula-dharma) and ritual purity.