Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 9
Śāva-āśauca and Sūtikā-śauca: Death/Childbirth Impurity, Preta-śuddhi, and Śrāddha Procedure
Chapter 157
विवाहितासु नाशौचं पितृपक्षे विधीयते पितुर्गृहे प्रसूतानां विशुद्धिर् नैशिकी स्मृता
vivāhitāsu nāśaucaṃ pitṛpakṣe vidhīyate piturgṛhe prasūtānāṃ viśuddhir naiśikī smṛtā
شادی شدہ عورتوں کے لیے پدری جانب (پِتر پکش) میں اَشَوچ مقرر نہیں کیا جاتا۔ جو عورتیں باپ کے گھر میں ولادت کریں، ان کی طہارت ایک رات میں مانی گئی ہے۔
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purana frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samskara","practical_application":"Clarifying āśauca applicability for married women with respect to paternal kin, and specifying one-night purification for childbirth occurring in the father’s house.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Married woman’s āśauca vis-à-vis paternal side; one-night śuddhi for birth in father’s house","lookup_keywords":["vivāhitā","pitr̥pakṣa āśauca","prasūti","pituḥ gṛha","naiśikī śuddhi"],"quick_summary":"A married woman does not observe āśauca on the paternal side; if she gives birth in her father’s house, purification is completed after one night (naiśikī)."}
Concept: Lineage and residence define ritual obligation; dharma delineates boundaries of impurity across kin networks.
Application: Helps families decide who observes restrictions after events involving a married daughter and how quickly normal rites resume after childbirth at her natal home.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Ashauca & Shuddhi: rules of impurity and purification)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Type: Samanya
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A married woman at her father’s home after childbirth; elders discuss that paternal-side āśauca is not imposed, and a one-night purification is observed with lamp vigil and morning bath.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, domestic birthing chamber suggested symbolically, mother and newborn, elders outside with priest, single-night lamp vigil, ritual bath vessels, serene palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, mother and infant framed with auspicious motifs, gold work on cradle and lamp, father’s household setting, priest indicating ‘one night’ śuddhi.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear narrative: married daughter in natal home, family council on dharma boundary, small caption-like space for ‘naiśikī śuddhi’, refined lines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed household interior with women attendants and cradle, elder men consulting a text in an adjacent room, night lamp scene transitioning to dawn bath, delicate realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Anandabhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नाशौचं = न + अशौचम्; पितुर्गृहे = पितुः + गृहे (ः + ग → र्ग); विशुद्धिर् नैशिकी = विशुद्धिः + नैशिकी (ः + न → र्)
Related Themes: Agni Purana: chapter 157 āśauca rules for women and kin-based applicability
FAQs
It gives an āśauca–śuddhi rule: for a married woman, the paternal side does not observe childbirth-related impurity, and if birth occurs in her father’s house, purification is completed after one night.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves applied dharma norms—household purity regulations and lineage-based observances—showing its coverage of practical social-religious law.
It regulates when rites (snāna, pūjā, śrāddha, etc.) may be resumed without impurity, aiming to maintain ritual correctness (śuddhi) and the merit (puṇya) of domestic and ancestral observances.