Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 38
Śrāddha-kalpa-kathana
Exposition of the Śrāddha Procedure
मात्स्याविहारिणौरभ्रशाकुनच्छागपार्षतैर् इति छ दत्तैर् इहेति घ , ङ , ञ च मधुमुद्गान्नमेव वेति ङ सर्वमानन्त्यमश्नुते इति घ , ङ च स्वर्णमिति ख , छ च प्रवृत्तचक्रतां पुत्रान् वाणिज्यं प्रसुतां तथा अरोगित्वं यशो वीतशोकतां परमाङ्गतिं
mātsyāvihāriṇaurabhraśākunacchāgapārṣatair iti cha dattair iheti gha , ṅa , ña ca madhumudgānnameva veti ṅa sarvamānantyamaśnute iti gha , ṅa ca svarṇamiti kha , cha ca pravṛttacakratāṃ putrān vāṇijyaṃ prasutāṃ tathā arogitvaṃ yaśo vītaśokatāṃ paramāṅgatiṃ
Nhờ bố thí/cúng dường các món như cá, thịt, chim, dê và những vật thích hợp khác—người ta được thịnh vượng ngay trong đời này. Nhờ dâng mật ong, đậu mung và cơm chín—đạt sự sung túc vô tận trong mọi phương diện. Nhờ dâng vàng—được sự hưng thịnh của công cuộc (bánh xe hoạt động vận hành), con trai, thành tựu trong thương mại, con cháu, không bệnh tật, danh tiếng, trạng thái không sầu khổ, và cảnh giới tối thượng.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as typical for this section of the Agni Purāṇa)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Dāna-phala mapping: selecting specific food/commodity gifts (fish/meat/birds/goat; honey; mudga; cooked food; gold) to seek targeted outcomes—prosperity, inexhaustible resources, health, fame, trade success, and sorrowlessness.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Dāna-phala: anna-madhu-mudga-suvarṇa-dānasya viśeṣa-phalam","lookup_keywords":["dana-phala","madhu-dana","mudga-dana","suvarna-dana","arogitva"],"quick_summary":"The verse assigns fruits to particular gifts: certain foods yield worldly prosperity; honey/mung/cooked food yield inexhaustible abundance; gold yields enterprise, sons, trade success, health, fame, freedom from sorrow, and the highest state."}
Concept: Karma-phala linkage in dāna: specific dravya carries specific saṃskāra/utility, hence differentiated fruits (bhoga, ārogya, yaśas, putra, paramā gati).
Application: Match gifts to intent: for general prosperity give suitable foods; for sustained abundance give honey/mung/cooked food; for high-impact social/economic uplift give gold—within one’s means and with proper recipient/occasion.
Khanda Section: Dāna-dharma (Charity, gifts, and their फल/merit)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sequence of donation scenes: baskets of fish/meat/birds/goat offered; jars of honey; bowls of mung and cooked rice; gold coins and ornaments given—each scene paired with symbolic outcomes: overflowing granary, thriving trade wheel, healthy family, fame banner, serene sorrowless figure, and a luminous ‘supreme state’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural triptych: donors offering food items and gold, stylized symbols of abundance (overflowing pots), a rotating wheel for enterprise, a healthy radiant family, calm sorrowless face; bold outlines, earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting series with gold-leaf emphasis on suvarṇa-dāna: ornate gold coins, embossed vessels of honey, rich textiles; symbolic haloed prosperity and health motifs; devotional opulence.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional panel layout: labeled gifts (matsya, māṃsa, śakuna, chāga, madhu, mudga, anna, suvarṇa) with arrows to results (aiśvarya, ānantya, ārogya, yaśas, vītaśoka, paramā gati), clean composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: bustling charitable distribution in a market-courtyard—food baskets, honey jars, and gold gifts; merchants and families; a symbolic ‘wheel of commerce’ motif; fine detail and naturalistic rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Madhyamavati","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मात्स्याविहारिणौरभ्र… → मात्स्य-अविहारिणा + उरभ्र-…; शाकुनच्छाग… → शाकुन + छाग…; दत्तैर् इह → दत्तैः + इह; सर्वमानन्त्यमश्नुते → सर्वम् + आनन्त्यम् + अश्नुते; वीतशोकतां → वीत-शोकताम्; परमाङ्गतिं → परम-अङ्गतिम्. पाठे ‘घ, ङ, ञ, ख, छ’ इत्यादयः संकेताक्षराणि (पाठभेद/टीका-चिह्न) इव दृश्यन्ते, पदार्थे न प्रवर्तन्ते.
Related Themes: Agni Purana dāna-vibhāga and dāna-phala catalogues in dāna-dharma sections (including 163)
FAQs
It teaches dāna-vidhi in a practical way: specific categories of gifts (foods like honey, mung, cooked meals; and valuables like gold) are linked to specific outcomes such as worldly prosperity, inexhaustible abundance, health, fame, progeny, and the highest attainment.
By mapping concrete household actions (what to give) to results (economic success, trade prosperity, health, social reputation, spiritual progress), it functions like a compact dharma-manual—showing the Purāṇa’s wide scope beyond mythology into applied ethics and social economy.
The verse frames giving as karma that yields both iha-phala (benefit in this life) and higher spiritual fruit—culminating in paramā gati—implying that generosity purifies, sustains dharma, and leads toward the supreme goal.