Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 23
Utpāta-śānti
Pacification of Portents
स्त्रीणां प्रसववैकृत्ये स्त्रीविप्रादिं प्रपूजयेत् वडवा हस्तिनी गौर्वा यदि युग्मं प्रसूयते
strīṇāṃ prasavavaikṛtye strīviprādiṃ prapūjayet vaḍavā hastinī gaurvā yadi yugmaṃ prasūyate
स्त्रीणां प्रसववैकृत्ये स्त्रीविप्रादिं प्रपूजयेत्; वडवा हस्तिनी गौर्वा यदि युग्मं प्रसूयते।
Lord Agni (in discourse to the sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the Agni Purāṇa’s standard narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Prescribes śānti response to abnormal births: honor/gift to a female brāhmaṇa (and appropriate persons) as expiation/appeasement; extends to twin-births in certain animals as ominous events needing propitiation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Prasava-vaikṛtya-śānti: Strī-brāhmaṇa-pūjā and dāna","lookup_keywords":["prasava-vaikṛtya","strī-brāhmaṇa-pūjā","dāna","yugma-prasava","śakuna-śānti"],"quick_summary":"For abnormal delivery, the text advises pūjā and honoring (often via gifts) of a female brāhmaṇa and others as a śānti act. Twin-births in mare/elephant/cow are treated similarly as omen-events requiring propitiation."}
Concept: Dāna and satkāra (honoring the worthy) function as śānti—social-ritual repair in response to ominous irregularities.
Application: Perform prescribed honoring/gifts to qualified recipients and conduct protective rites to reduce perceived inauspiciousness affecting household/realm.
Khanda Section: Shanti-prayoga & Nimitta-shastra (Auspicious/inauspicious omens and expiatory rites)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A household performs śānti after an abnormal birth: a respected female brāhmaṇa is honored with garments and gifts; in parallel, a pastoral scene shows a cow (and other animals symbolically) with twin calves, with priests conducting appeasement rites.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-register composition: upper domestic honoring of a learned brāhmaṇī with offerings, lower pastoral twin-birth scene with cow and calves, priests with lamps and water-pot, strong reds/ochres, ritual purity motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central brāhmaṇī seated receiving dāna, gold-embossed ornaments on vessels and textiles, side vignette of cow with twin calves, auspicious temple-lamp glow, rich decorative borders.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear instructional depiction of satkāra steps (pādya, arghya, vastra, dakṣiṇā), calm domestic interior; separate small panel for animal twin-birth omen and śānti at cowshed.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed domestic courtyard with gift-giving ceremony to a dignified woman scholar, attendants carrying cloth and coins; adjacent pastoral vignette with cow and twin calves, fine naturalistic rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्त्रीविप्रादिं = स्त्री + विप्र + आदिम्; गौः + वा → गौर्वा (विसर्ग-सन्धि)
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Nimitta/śānti prescriptions in ch. 262 surrounding verses on omens and expiations
FAQs
It prescribes a śānti/prāyaścitta response to inauspicious or anomalous birth-signs: respectfully honoring and gifting to a qualified female brāhmaṇa (and similar recipients) when abnormal delivery occurs or when certain animals deliver twins.
Beyond theology, it records applied household and omen-management praxis (nimitta-śāstra and śānti-kalpa): how to neutralize feared portents through socially codified ritual actions such as pūjā and dāna.
Honoring worthy recipients functions as a purificatory and appeasing act (śānti), intended to reduce the negative karmic/inauspicious effects associated with abnormal births and to restore auspicious order in the household.