Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 23
Ācāra
Right Conduct
परभृतो भवेन्न हि इति झ लोष्टमद्दीत्यादिः, न रात्रिग इत्य् अन्तः पाठः, गपुस्तके नास्ति देवाद्रिच्छाययेति ख , छ , ग च मलादिक्षेपयेन्नाप्सु इति ख , ट च ततः समभिगच्छेत योगक्षेमार्थमीश्वरं स्रजन्नात्मनाप्पनयेत् खरादिकरजस्त्यजेत्
parabhṛto bhavenna hi iti jha loṣṭamaddītyādiḥ, na rātriga ity antaḥ pāṭhaḥ, gapustake nāsti devādricchāyayeti kha , cha , ga ca malādikṣepayennāpsu iti kha , ṭa ca tataḥ samabhigaccheta yogakṣemārthamīśvaraṃ srajannātmanāppanayet kharādikarajastyajet
آدمی کو دوسروں پر منحصر نہیں ہونا چاہیے۔ پھر یوگ-کشیَم—بھلائی اور حفاظت—کے لیے پروردگار کے حضور جائے۔ پوجا میں اپنے اوپر ہار رکھ کر بعد میں اسے اتار دے اور گدھے وغیرہ کی گرد جیسی میل کچیل کو ترک کرے۔
Lord Agni (narrating the Agni Purana’s conduct and worship instructions)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Stotra","practical_application":"Ethical self-reliance and purity in worship: avoid dependency, maintain śauca, approach Īśvara for yoga-kṣema, and remove external impurities before/after pūjā.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Ācāra-pāṭhabheda notes and pūjā-śauca for yoga-kṣema","lookup_keywords":["parabhrita","yoga-ksema","isvara-upasana","pustaka-patha","maladi-ksepa"],"quick_summary":"The verse preserves variant readings while emphasizing conduct: do not become dependent, keep water and body pure, and approach the Lord for welfare, discarding impurity as part of worship discipline."}
Concept: Inner welfare (yoga-kṣema) is sought through disciplined approach to Īśvara, supported by external and internal cleanliness and non-dependence.
Application: Adopt a worship routine: self-reliance, bodily cleanliness, respectful approach to deity, and symbolic casting off of impurity.
Khanda Section: Pūjā-vidhi / Ācāra (Ritual conduct, purity, and worship procedure)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: Mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A worshipper prepares for pūjā: cleanses dust and grime, approaches a shrine of Īśvara seeking yoga-kṣema; marginal scribal notes indicate variant readings, evoking manuscript culture.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, temple courtyard with a simple liṅga or Viṣṇu shrine, devotee removing dusty garland and washing hands, palm-leaf manuscript motif with visible pāṭhabheda marks, warm ochres and greens","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central deity (Īśvara) with gold aureole, devotee offering and then setting aside a garland, gold detailing on ritual tray, visual emphasis on ‘yoga-kṣema’ blessing gesture","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic sequence: (1) avoid dependence, (2) maintain cleanliness, (3) approach deity for welfare; include a small scholar-scribe figure noting variant readings on a manuscript","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, refined interior of a shrine with attendants, a scholar holding a manuscript with marginal variants, devotee at threshold removing dust, subtle landscape hint of a sacred mountain shade"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: bhavet + na → bhavenna; kṣepayet + na + apsu → kṣepayet na apsu (written kṣepayennāpsu); ātmanā + arpayet → ātmanāppanayet (editorial/phonetic assimilation; read as ātmanā arpayet). Non-verse critical apparatus phrases (jha/kha/cha/ga/ṭa, pāṭhaḥ, pustake, nāsti etc.) omitted from pada list as they are editorial notes, not śloka padas.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: Pūjā-vidhi sections (mantra, upacāra, śauca); Agni Purana: Ācāra/śauca rules around snāna and tīrtha
FAQs
It teaches āchāra and śauca: avoid dependency and improper conduct, do not pollute water with filth, and then approach Īśvara for yoga-kṣema (welfare and protection) with simple worship actions such as garlanding and discarding impurity.
It combines ethical hygiene (water pollution avoidance), social conduct (non-dependence), and practical pūjā procedure (approaching the Lord for yoga-kṣema), showing how the text integrates dharma, public cleanliness, and ritual technique in a single instructional stream.
Maintaining purity and not contaminating shared resources supports dharmic merit, while approaching Īśvara for yoga-kṣema frames worldly stability as rooted in disciplined conduct and devotional alignment, symbolically “casting off” impurity (rajas) before worship.