Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 42
प्रायश्चित्तानि (Expiations) — Association-Impurity, Purification Rites, and Graded Penance
चाण्डालश्वपचौ स्पृष्ट्वा तथा पूयञ्च सूतिकां शवं तत्स्पर्शिनं स्पृष्ट्वा सद्यः स्नानेन शुद्ध्यति
cāṇḍālaśvapacau spṛṣṭvā tathā pūyañca sūtikāṃ śavaṃ tatsparśinaṃ spṛṣṭvā sadyaḥ snānena śuddhyati
เมื่อสัมผัสจัณฑาลหรือผู้ปรุงสุนัข ตลอดจนหนอง สตรีในภาวะอสุจิหลังคลอด ศพ หรือผู้ที่สัมผัสศพ—ย่อมบริสุทธิ์ได้ทันทีด้วยการอาบน้ำ
Lord Agni (narrating Dharma and ritual purity rules to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Immediate purification protocol (sadyah-śuddhi) after contact with highly polluting persons/substances (caṇḍāla, corpse, lochia/post-partum impurity, pus), specifying bathing as the operative act.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Sadyah-śuddhi by snāna after caṇḍāla/śava/sūtikā/puya-sparśa","lookup_keywords":["sadyah-śuddhi","snāna","caṇḍāla","śava-sparśa","sūtikā"],"quick_summary":"Touching a caṇḍāla (or śvapaca), pus, a woman in post-partum impurity, a corpse, or a corpse-toucher is cleansed immediately through bathing."}
Concept: Certain contacts are treated as immediately removable impurity through a single decisive act (snāna).
Application: Guides eligibility to resume worship, cooking, or social/ritual participation after polluting contact by performing immediate bath.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Shauca-vidhi (Rules of purity and purification)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A person performs immediate bathing after accidental contact with a corpse or polluting substance; ritual water-pot and bathing area emphasized as the means of sadyah-śuddhi.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, riverside or bathing platform, figure pouring water over head with a brass pot, attendants holding cloth, symbolic depiction of impurity sources kept at a distance (covered bier, red-marked pus vessel), strong outlines and warm palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold work, a bathing scene with ornate water vessel, halo-like emphasis on purification, decorative borders; impurity objects shown small and peripheral, central focus on snāna as cleansing act.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic composition: sequence-like depiction—contact then immediate bath; clean labels for caṇḍāla/śava/sūtikā/puya icons; soft shading and precise linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed ghāṭa with steps, figure bathing, attendants with towels, distant funeral bier and a physician-like attendant indicating pus, fine architectural and textile detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पूयञ्च = पूयम् च (म् + च → ञ्च); तत्स्पर्शिनम् = तत् स्पर्शिनम् (त् + स् → त्स्).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 170 (Śauca-vidhi cluster on sparśa-doṣa and snāna)
FAQs
It teaches a shauca (purification) rule: after contact with specific sources of ritual impurity—certain persons, bodily discharge (pus), post-partum aśauca, a corpse, or a corpse-contact person—immediate purification is obtained through bathing (snāna).
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purana preserves practical Dharma-shastra norms for daily life—especially aśauca/shauca procedures—showing its wide coverage of ritual law, social conduct, and household religious practice.
It frames purity as a prerequisite for ritual acts and sacred duties; prompt bathing removes contact-based impurity, restoring eligibility for worship, recitation, and other dharmic observances.