Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 3
The Livelihood of the Householder (गृहस्थवृत्तिः) — Agni Purana, Chapter 152
श्रीजीवनञ्च तत्र स्यात् प्रोक्तमिति ग , घ , ङ , ञ च भूमिं भित्वौषधीश्छित्वा हुत्वा कोटपिपीलिकान् पुनन्ति खलु यज्ञेन कर्षका देवपूजनात्
śrījīvanañca tatra syāt proktamiti ga , gha , ṅa , ña ca bhūmiṃ bhitvauṣadhīśchitvā hutvā koṭapipīlikān punanti khalu yajñena karṣakā devapūjanāt
At doon, sinasabing lilitaw ang masaganang kabuhayan (ayon sa mga baryanteng pagbasa ga, gha, ṅa, ña). Bagaman binibiyak nila ang lupa, pinuputol ang mga halaman, at sa pagsasaka’y naihahandog sa apoy ang di-mabilang na mga langgam, ang mga magsasaka ay tunay na nalilinis sa pamamagitan ng yajña (banal na handog) at ng pagsamba sa mga diyos.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana narrator) addressing the sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Frames agriculture as a dharmic livelihood: despite unavoidable harm to soil-life and plants, the cultivator maintains ritual-ethical purity through yajña and deva-pūjā, guiding conscience and social legitimacy of farming.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Kṛṣi-hiṃsā-doṣaśuddhi by Yajña (Purification of agricultural harm)","lookup_keywords":["kṛṣaka","kṛṣi","yajña-śuddhi","hiṃsā-doṣa","devapūjā"],"quick_summary":"Farming entails incidental injury (earth-cutting, plant-cutting, insect death), yet the farmer is said to be purified through sacrificial duty and worship, integrating livelihood with ritual responsibility."}
Concept: Naimittika-hiṃsā (incidental harm) in necessary livelihood is ethically reconciled through yajña and deva-pūjā, sustaining social order and inner purity.
Application: Encourages farmers to pair work with regular offerings, gratitude rites, and restraint, reducing guilt and promoting responsible stewardship.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Grihya-Karma (Agriculture as Dharma; Yajna-related livelihood ethics)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ploughman tills the field; cut furrows reveal insects/ants; nearby a small yajña-kuṇḍa with offerings and a household shrine indicates purification through worship.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, earthy reds and ochres, a kṛṣaka with wooden plough and oxen, stylized furrows, a small yajña fire with ladle and offerings, devas subtly present as blessing, flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, farmer with oxen and plough, gold-leaf haloed deities above, a bright yajña fire at the side, ornate borders, devotional emphasis on purification through worship","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, detailed agrarian tools and furrow lines, small domestic altar and yajña-kuṇḍa, gentle shading, instructional clarity showing ‘work + ritual’ integration","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, finely detailed rural landscape, ants/insects near furrows, a priest performing a small homa beside the field, delicate flora, naturalistic oxen and plough"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śrījīvanañca = śrī-jīvanam + ca; proktamiti = proktam + iti; bhitvauṣadhīśchitvā = bhitvā + auṣadhīḥ + chitvā (auṣadhīḥ + chitvā → auṣadhīśchitvā); koṭapipīlikān treated as dvandva compound koṭa + pipīlikā.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Rajadharma/Vyavahara sections on fines and livelihood ethics (adjacent verses 152.4–152.5); Agni Purana: Gṛhya-karma/yajña-related livelihood duties (contextual chapters)
FAQs
It teaches the dharmic principle that occupational harm incurred in cultivation (ploughing, cutting plants, killing insects) is counterbalanced and purified through yajña (sacrificial rites) and deva-pūjā (regular worship).
It integrates ethics, social duty, and ritual technology by addressing a practical economic activity (farming) and mapping it to ritual remedies (yajña, worship), showing how the Purana systematizes daily life under dharma.
The verse frames unavoidable, incidental violence in livelihood as spiritually manageable: sincere sacrifice and worship generate purification (śuddhi/punya), protecting the farmer from karmic taint while sustaining society.