Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 42
प्रायश्चित्तानि (Expiations) — Association-Impurity, Purification Rites, and Graded Penance
चाण्डालश्वपचौ स्पृष्ट्वा तथा पूयञ्च सूतिकां शवं तत्स्पर्शिनं स्पृष्ट्वा सद्यः स्नानेन शुद्ध्यति
cāṇḍālaśvapacau spṛṣṭvā tathā pūyañca sūtikāṃ śavaṃ tatsparśinaṃ spṛṣṭvā sadyaḥ snānena śuddhyati
触及旃陀罗或烹犬者，亦或触及脓液、处于产后不净之妇（苏提迦）、尸体，或触及尸体之人者，皆以沐浴而即刻得清净。
Lord Agni (narrating Dharma and ritual purity rules to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Immediate purification protocol (sadyah-śuddhi) after contact with highly polluting persons/substances (caṇḍāla, corpse, lochia/post-partum impurity, pus), specifying bathing as the operative act.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Sadyah-śuddhi by snāna after caṇḍāla/śava/sūtikā/puya-sparśa","lookup_keywords":["sadyah-śuddhi","snāna","caṇḍāla","śava-sparśa","sūtikā"],"quick_summary":"Touching a caṇḍāla (or śvapaca), pus, a woman in post-partum impurity, a corpse, or a corpse-toucher is cleansed immediately through bathing."}
Concept: Certain contacts are treated as immediately removable impurity through a single decisive act (snāna).
Application: Guides eligibility to resume worship, cooking, or social/ritual participation after polluting contact by performing immediate bath.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Shauca-vidhi (Rules of purity and purification)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A person performs immediate bathing after accidental contact with a corpse or polluting substance; ritual water-pot and bathing area emphasized as the means of sadyah-śuddhi.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, riverside or bathing platform, figure pouring water over head with a brass pot, attendants holding cloth, symbolic depiction of impurity sources kept at a distance (covered bier, red-marked pus vessel), strong outlines and warm palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold work, a bathing scene with ornate water vessel, halo-like emphasis on purification, decorative borders; impurity objects shown small and peripheral, central focus on snāna as cleansing act.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, didactic composition: sequence-like depiction—contact then immediate bath; clean labels for caṇḍāla/śava/sūtikā/puya icons; soft shading and precise linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed ghāṭa with steps, figure bathing, attendants with towels, distant funeral bier and a physician-like attendant indicating pus, fine architectural and textile detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shuddha Saveri","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पूयञ्च = पूयम् च (म् + च → ञ्च); तत्स्पर्शिनम् = तत् स्पर्शिनम् (त् + स् → त्स्).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 170 (Śauca-vidhi cluster on sparśa-doṣa and snāna)
FAQs
It teaches a shauca (purification) rule: after contact with specific sources of ritual impurity—certain persons, bodily discharge (pus), post-partum aśauca, a corpse, or a corpse-contact person—immediate purification is obtained through bathing (snāna).
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purana preserves practical Dharma-shastra norms for daily life—especially aśauca/shauca procedures—showing its wide coverage of ritual law, social conduct, and household religious practice.
It frames purity as a prerequisite for ritual acts and sacred duties; prompt bathing removes contact-based impurity, restoring eligibility for worship, recitation, and other dharmic observances.