Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 34
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
कन्यां प्रजां वन्दिनश् च पशून् मुख्यान् सुतानपि घृतं कृषिं च वाणिज्यं द्विशफैकशफं तथा
kanyāṃ prajāṃ vandinaś ca paśūn mukhyān sutānapi ghṛtaṃ kṛṣiṃ ca vāṇijyaṃ dviśaphaikaśaphaṃ tathā
కన్య, ఆశ్రిత ప్రజలు, వందిగణులు, ఉత్తమ పశువులు, కుమారులు; నెయ్యి, వ్యవసాయం, వాణిజ్యం; అలాగే ద్విశఫ (చీలిన ఖురాలు) మరియు ఏకశఫ (ఒక ఖురం) పశువులు—ఇవి దానఫల/వరాలుగా చెప్పబడినవి।
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Dāna-vastu-nirṇaya: deciding what kinds of gifts (persons, livestock, produce, economic assets) are considered meritorious/auspicious in household and public charity contexts.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Dāna-dravya-varga (categories of gifts: persons, livestock, produce, livelihoods)","lookup_keywords":["dana-dravya","kanya-dana","pashu-dana","ghrita-dana","krishi-vanijya"],"quick_summary":"The verse catalogs high-value gifts spanning social (maiden, dependents, bards), pastoral (cattle; cloven/single-hoof animals), and economic assets (ghee, agriculture, trade), framing dāna as support of society and livelihood."}
Concept: Dāna as sustenance of varṇa-āśrama society and economic continuity (livelihoods, herds, produce).
Application: Householders and patrons choose gifts that directly maintain dependents, ritual specialists, and productive resources, aligning charity with social welfare.
Khanda Section: Dana-dharma (Gifts, auspicious donations and their fruits)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A patron in a household courtyard distributes gifts: a maiden being ceremonially given, dependents and bards receiving honor, cattle and horses/donkeys shown as cloven- and single-hoof animals; jars of ghee; symbols of plough and trade scales.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, temple-courtyard dāna scene, patron with traditional attire offering ghee pots and cattle to recipients, bards with palm-leaf manuscripts, rich earthy reds and greens, flat iconic composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central donor figure with gold-leaf halo-like ornamentation, attendants presenting ghee vessels and cattle, ornate jewelry, embossed gold detailing on vessels and ornaments, symmetrical layout.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional catalog scene with labeled gift-items (ghee pot, plough, trade scales, cow, horse), delicate lines, muted palette, emphasis on clarity and didactic arrangement.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly donation audience: patron seated, bards praising, livestock led in, merchants with scales, fine architectural backdrop, detailed textiles and naturalistic animals."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सुतानपि → सुतान् + अपि; वन्दिनश् च → वन्दिनः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धिः); द्विशफैकशफं → द्विशफ + एकशफम् (समास/सन्धि-विग्रहः).
Related Themes: Agni Purana dāna-dharma sections on dāna-phala and dravya-bheda (adjacent verses in 163)
FAQs
It catalogs categories of dāna (charitable gifts)—human-related gifts (maiden, dependents, bards), valuable resources (ghee), and livelihood-assets (agriculture and trade), including livestock types (cloven- and single-hoofed).
By treating dharma in practical terms—mapping religious merit onto real economic assets (ghee, farming, commerce, livestock classification)—it shows the Purana’s wide scope beyond mythology into social and economic norms.
The verse frames these items as merit-generating gifts: offering high-value, livelihood-sustaining resources is presented as a potent means of accruing puṇya and supporting dharmic social order.