Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 42
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
विद्युदग्निहतानाञ्च त्र्यहं शुद्धिः सपिण्डिके पाषण्डाश्रिता भर्तृघ्न्यो नाशौचोदकगाः स्त्रियः
vidyudagnihatānāñca tryahaṃ śuddhiḥ sapiṇḍike pāṣaṇḍāśritā bhartṛghnyo nāśaucodakagāḥ striyaḥ
凡为雷电所击或为火所害而死者，其同一血缘团（sapiṇḍa）亲属之净化期为三日。至于依附异端（pāṣaṇḍa）之妇女、弑夫（或致夫死）之妇女，以及不守不净之规与不行献水之礼者——此等妇女无资格受行与不净及奠水相关之常规仪式。
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, typical Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prayashchitta","practical_application":"Applying differentiated āśauca/purification rules for accidental deaths (lightning/fire) and determining ritual eligibility/exclusion for certain women under specified transgressive conditions.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Rule","entry_title":"Āśauca for lightning/fire deaths; exclusion from āśauca-udaka rites for certain women","lookup_keywords":["vidyut-hata","agni-hata","tryaha-śuddhi","sapiṇḍa","pāṣaṇḍa","bhartṛghnī","udaka"],"quick_summary":"For deaths by lightning or fire, sapiṇḍa relatives observe three days of purification; the verse also states that women characterized by heretical affiliation, husband-slaying, or non-observance of impurity and water-offerings are not entitled to the regular āśauca/udaka rites."}
Concept: Ritual impurity is graded by death-cause and kinship (sapiṇḍa), and ritual entitlements are conditioned by adherence to dharma norms.
Application: Helps officiants/families decide āśauca length after accidental deaths and interpret who may participate in or receive standard libation-linked observances per the text’s normative framework.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Ashaucha-vidhi (Impurity and purification rules)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two-part legal-ritual scene: (1) relatives performing three-day purification after a lightning/fire death; (2) a priest delineating eligibility boundaries for āśauca and udaka rites, with symbolic markers of pāṣaṇḍa affiliation and transgression.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, left panel shows a lightning-struck scene and a fire-accident scene with mourners; right panel shows a priest at a threshold gesture indicating exclusion from rites, stylized symbols for heterodox sect and broken water-offering vessel","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-highlighted ritual vessels and kuśa, three-day purification implied by three lamps, priest instructing sapiṇḍas; secondary vignette shows a barred entry to ritual space for ineligible participants, ornate borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic chart-like composition: causes of death (vidyut/agni) with '3 days' indicated by three marks, and a separate box for exclusions (pāṣaṇḍa, bhartṛghnī, udaka-tyāga), clean linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed domestic courtyard with priest and family, separate vignette of lightning/fire incident, subtle legalistic gesture of refusal at a doorway, refined faces and textiles"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: hatānāñca = hatānām + ca; vidyudagnihatānām = vidyut + agni + hatānām; pāṣaṇḍāśritā = pāṣaṇḍa + āśritāḥ; nāśaucodakagāḥ = na + aśauca-udaka-gāḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158.41 (baseline three-night āśauca and day-wise rites)
FAQs
It specifies the śuddhi (purification/impurity-ending) duration—three days—for sapiṇḍa relatives when death occurs by lightning or fire, and it delineates categories of women treated as outside the standard ashaucha-and-udaka framework.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical dharma-shāstra material—precise impurity periods and eligibility rules for funerary observances—showing its coverage of social-ritual law.
By fixing time-bound purification and eligibility for udaka/ashaucha rites, the verse frames death-ritual conduct as karmically consequential—maintaining ritual order (śuddhi) and proper ancestral obligations (libations) within the kin group.