Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 31
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
शूद्रादनिन्द्यान्येतानि गुडक्षीररसादिकं अस्नातभुक् चोपवासी दिनान्ते तु जपाच्छुचिः
śūdrādanindyānyetāni guḍakṣīrarasādikaṃ asnātabhuk copavāsī dinānte tu japācchuciḥ
Mula sa isang Śūdra, ang mga bagay na ito ay hindi kapintasan na tanggapin: jaggery (asukal na pula), gatas, katas ng prutas at iba pa. Ang kumain nang hindi naliligo ay dapat mag-ayuno (upavāsa), at sa pagtatapos ng araw ay luminis sa pamamagitan ng pagbigkas ng japa.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Guidance for householders and officials on what food-gifts may be accepted across varna boundaries and what penance restores purity after improper eating.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Acceptable items from a Śūdra; penance for eating without bathing","lookup_keywords":["śūdra-pratigraha","guḍa","kṣīra","rasa","asnātabhuk-prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"Certain simple foods (jaggery, milk, fruit-juice, etc.) may be accepted from a Śūdra without blame. If one eats without bathing, one should fast and regain purity by japa at day’s end."}
Concept: Śauca is restored by regulated conduct (upavāsa) and mantra-recitation (japa), and social exchange is bounded by dharmic acceptability.
Application: In daily life: accept only permitted items in inter-varna transactions; if a lapse occurs (eating without bath), adopt fasting and japa as corrective routine.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Shaucha-Achara (Rules of purity, food, and conduct)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder receives simple foods (jaggery, milk, fruit-juice) and later performs a day-end purification: fasting posture and japa with a mālā near a water-pot for bathing.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, warm earthy palette, a dharmic householder seated in padmāsana doing japa with rudrākṣa mālā, beside a brass kalaśa and offerings of guḍa and kṣīra, stylized interior with traditional motifs, flat perspective, crisp outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf highlights on vessels and offering plates, householder with mālā performing japa at dusk, plate with jaggery lumps and milk pot, ornate arch frame, rich reds and greens","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, delicate linework, instructional domestic scene: accepted foods on a low stool, then the same person fasting and reciting japa at day’s end, minimal background, soft shading","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed household courtyard, servant presenting milk and fruit-juice, later the patron seated with prayer beads at sunset, fine textiles, naturalistic vessels, subtle sky gradient"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: śūdrāt + anindyāni + etāni → śūdrādanindyānyetāni; bhuk + ca → bhuk ca (written copavāsī = ca + upavāsī); japāt + śuciḥ → japācchuciḥ (t + ś → cch).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (Śauca/Prāyaścitta section); Agni Purana chapters on vrata and prāyaścitta (general)
FAQs
It gives shaucha-ācāra: which food items are permissible to accept (guḍa, kṣīra, rasa, etc.) and the corrective rite—fasting and japa—if one has eaten without bathing.
Beyond myth, it codifies practical dharma: social/food etiquette, purity discipline, and remedial observances—showing the Agni Purana’s coverage of daily-life regulation alongside ritual and theology.
It treats a lapse in bodily purity (eating before bathing) as correctable through tapas (upavāsa) and mantra-practice (japa), restoring śauca and reducing demerit through disciplined self-restraint and sacred recitation.