Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 34
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
गवाद्यैर् अन्नमाघ्रातं भुक्त्वा त्र्यहमुपावसेत् रेतोविण्मूत्रभक्षी तु प्राजापत्यं समाचरेत्
gavādyair annamāghrātaṃ bhuktvā tryahamupāvaset retoviṇmūtrabhakṣī tu prājāpatyaṃ samācaret
Kapag nakakain ng pagkaing naamoy ng baka at katulad, dapat mag-ayuno nang tatlong araw. Ngunit kung nakalunok ng semilya, dumi, o ihi, dapat isagawa ang pagtubos-sala na Prājāpatya.
Lord Agni (teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue framework)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Selecting the correct penance: short fasting for minor contamination (food smelled by cattle) and major expiation (Prājāpatya) for grave ingestion taboos.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Three-day fast for food smelled by cattle; Prājāpatya for consuming semen/feces/urine","lookup_keywords":["go-āghrāta-anna","tryaha-upavāsa","retaḥ-bhakṣaṇa","viṇmūtra-bhakṣaṇa","prājāpatya-prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"If one eats food merely smelled by cows and similar animals, a three-day fast is prescribed. Consuming semen, feces, or urine requires the heavier Prājāpatya expiation."}
Concept: Prāyaścitta is proportional: minor external contamination is met with limited fasting, while grave transgressions demand structured, higher penance (Prājāpatya).
Application: When a lapse occurs, classify it (minor/major) and adopt the matching vrata/penance rather than arbitrary self-punishment.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Rites)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cow sniffs a covered food pot; the eater later undertakes a three-day fast. A separate symbolic panel indicates the grave taboo and the formal Prājāpatya observance (austerity posture, regulated meals).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-panel narrative: cow smelling a vessel of cooked rice, then an ascetic householder seated with minimal food and water pot for three days; second panel shows stricter vrata iconography for Prājāpatya, stylized calendar marks","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold detailing on the food vessel and cow ornaments, devotee in austere posture with sparse setting, second vignette with more severe penance cues, ornate borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional: clear depiction of cow sniffing food (āghrāta), then a three-day fasting sequence shown by three small day markers; Prājāpatya shown as regulated observance with measured portions","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, pastoral courtyard with cow near kitchen, later the person in a quiet chamber observing fast, attendants noting days; separate inset for formal penance scene with minimalistic austerity"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: go-ādyaiḥ → gavādyaiḥ; annam + āghrātam → annamāghrātam; tri-aham + upāvaset → tryahamupāvaset.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (graded expiations); Agni Purana sections describing vrata types (Cāndrāyaṇa, Kṛcchra, etc.)
FAQs
It prescribes specific expiations: a three-day fast for eating food merely tainted by being sniffed by cattle/animals, and the more formal Prājāpatya penance for the grave impurity of ingesting semen, feces, or urine.
It exemplifies the Agni Purāṇa’s dharma-practical sections by cataloging graded impurities and matching them with corresponding prāyaścittas—functioning like a ritual-legal manual alongside its many other disciplines.
The verse frames impurity as karmically consequential and teaches that intentional, rule-based austerity (fasting/Prājāpatya) restores ritual fitness and mitigates the demerit arising from contact with or ingestion of highly impure substances.