Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 49
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
गुरुतल्पे ऽभिभाष्यैनस्तप्ते पच्यादयोमये शूमीं ज्वलन्तीञ्चाश्लिष्य मृतुना स विशुद्ध्यति
gurutalpe 'bhibhāṣyainastapte pacyādayomaye śūmīṃ jvalantīñcāśliṣya mṛtunā sa viśuddhyati
في إثم انتهاك فراش المعلّم، يُجعل يُحرق (كالمطبوخ) على حديدٍ محمّى احمرارًا؛ وبأن يعانق تمثالًا من حديدٍ متّقدًا (على هيئة امرأة) يتطهّر بالموت.
Lord Agni (narrating the dharma and prāyaścitta rules to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Records an extreme, death-accepting expiation (prāyaścitta) for gurutalpa-violation, illustrating the severity assigned to the offense in smṛti-style jurisprudence.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Prāyaścitta for gurutalpa: death by heated iron / blazing effigy embrace","lookup_keywords":["gurutalpa-prāyaścitta","tapta-ayas","śūmī","maraṇa-śuddhi","mahāpātaka"],"quick_summary":"For gurutalpa transgression, a severe expiation is described: being burned on heated iron and embracing a blazing iron effigy, with purification attained through death."}
Concept: Certain transgressions are framed as requiring life-forfeit austerity; ‘purification by death’ expresses the maximal gravity of adharma.
Application: Interpreted historically as a deterrent norm; in later practice often substituted by rigorous vows rather than literal execution.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Atonements)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A stark expiation scene: a condemned penitent near a glowing iron platform and a blazing iron female effigy, with priests witnessing from a distance, firelight dominating the setting.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dramatic fire-lit composition, glowing red iron slab, stylized flames, penitent figure in profile, priests with ritual staffs at edge, high-contrast ochres and vermilion.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, symbolic rather than graphic: central flame aureole, gold highlights on iron effigy outline, penitent shown in surrender posture, minimal background, emphasis on moral warning.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, controlled depiction of ritual apparatus (heated iron, effigy), explanatory feel, soft gradients for fire glow, restrained emotion.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, night scene with detailed fire brazier, ironwork rendered finely, observers in courtly attire, chiaroscuro effect, moral-legal tableau."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"austere","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गुरुतल्पे ऽभिभाष्य = गुरुतल्पे + अभिभाष्य; अभिभाष्यैनः = अभिभाष्य + एनः; पच्यादयोमये = पच्यात् + अयोमये; ज्वलन्तीञ्चाश्लिष्य = ज्वलन्तीम् + च + आश्लिष्य.
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa 173.48 (definition of gurutalpaga); Agni Purāṇa 173.50 (alternative Cāndrāyaṇa expiation)
FAQs
It prescribes a prāyaścitta for the mahāpātaka called gurutalpa—atonement through a death-penalty-like rite involving red-hot iron and embracing a blazing iron effigy.
Beyond theology, the Agni Purana preserves dharma-shastra material—codified rules on crime, sin, punishment, and expiation—showing its coverage of social-legal and ritual governance.
It treats gurutalpa as a grave karmic rupture; purification is stated to occur only through death, underscoring the extreme severity attributed to violating the guru’s household sanctity.