Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 5
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
आचूडादेकरात्रं स्यादाव्रताच्च त्रिरात्रकं दशरात्रं भवेदस्मान्मातापित्रोस्त्रिरात्रकं
ācūḍādekarātraṃ syādāvratācca trirātrakaṃ daśarātraṃ bhavedasmānmātāpitrostrirātrakaṃ
Até a realização do cūḍā (rito de tonsura) da criança, o período é de uma noite; para quem não assumiu os votos prescritos (vrata), é de três noites. Ultrapassada essa etapa, torna-se de dez noites; mas para a mãe e o pai, é apenas de três noites.
Lord Agni (in dialogue, traditionally teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Determines āśauca duration based on the child’s saṃskāra stage (up to cūḍā), vow-status (avrata), and special rule for parents; used to plan ritual eligibility and household conduct.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Āśauca-kāla by saṃskāra stage: cūḍā, vrata-status, and parents","lookup_keywords":["cūḍā","avrata","ekarātra","trirātra","daśarātra"],"quick_summary":"Specifies graded observance: one night up to cūḍā, three nights for one without vows, later ten nights, but only three nights for mother and father in the stated case."}
Concept: Dharma calibrates impurity observance by life-stage (saṃskāra) and responsibility (vrata), while granting specific mitigations for parents.
Application: When a death/birth impurity arises, compute the observance length using the child’s saṃskāra status and the person’s vow-status; apply the parent exception to avoid overextension of restrictions.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Ashaucha & Prayaschitta: rules of ritual impurity and expiatory observances)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence of child life-stages: pre-cūḍā infant, cūḍā ceremony scene, and a household elder consulting a day-count for āśauca; parents shown with a shorter observance indicated.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural narrative strip: cūḍā rite with barber and sacred fire, then a dharma-elder pointing to palm-leaf day counts (1,3,10), parents in foreground marked with 3-day rule; warm earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting: central cūḍā ceremony with gold ornamentation on ritual vessels; side cartouches showing numbers 1/3/10 and parents’ 3-day exception, ornate frame.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style didactic chart: illustrated stages (before cūḍā, avrata, later stage) with corresponding nights; parents highlighted; delicate shading and clear labels.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: indoor ceremony of tonsure with attendants, scholar noting observance durations on a scroll; parents seated separately with a smaller numeral indicating reduced period."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: आचूडादेकरात्रं → आचूडात् + एकरात्रम्; स्यादाव्रताच्च → स्यात् + आव्रतात् + च; भवेदस्मान्मातापित्रोस्त्रिरात्रकं → भवेत् + अस्मात् + मातापित्रोः + त्रिरात्रकम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (saṃskāra-linked śauca rules); Agni Purana saṃskāra-related summaries (cūḍā, upanayana contexts)
FAQs
It prescribes graded durations (one, three, or ten nights) for a purity/observance period connected with life-stage rites (like cūḍā) and the status of having undertaken vrata, with a specific exception for one’s parents.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purana compiles practical dharma norms—here, concise dharma-shastra style rules on observance durations tied to saṃskāras and family relations, reflecting its wide-ranging legal-ritual coverage.
By observing the correctly prescribed period, one maintains ritual purity and social-religious order (dharma), minimizing fault (doṣa) and supporting auspiciousness and merit through disciplined conduct.