Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 44
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
मनुष्याणान्तु हरणे स्त्रीणां क्षेत्रगृहस्य च वापीकूपतडागानां शुद्धिश्चान्द्रायणं स्मृतं
manuṣyāṇāntu haraṇe strīṇāṃ kṣetragṛhasya ca vāpīkūpataḍāgānāṃ śuddhiścāndrāyaṇaṃ smṛtaṃ
For the theft or abduction of human beings, of women, and of a field or a house, and also of wells, stepwells, and ponds or tanks, the prescribed purification is said to be the Cāndrāyaṇa penance.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as the Agni Purāṇa’s primary narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Prescribing Cāndrāyaṇa penance for severe theft/abduction and property usurpation, including water-reservoir assets.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Cāndrāyaṇa prāyaścitta for abduction and major property theft","lookup_keywords":["cāndrāyaṇa","manuṣya-haraṇa","strī-haraṇa","kṣetra-gṛha","vāpī-kūpa-taḍāga"],"quick_summary":"For abduction of persons/women and theft of land, house, and water-works (wells, stepwells, tanks), purification is prescribed through the lunar-regulated Cāndrāyaṇa vow."}
Concept: Greater social harm (abduction, seizure of land/water infrastructure) demands a more rigorous, time-structured vow (Cāndrāyaṇa).
Application: Use lunar-cycle discipline to cultivate sustained restraint and acknowledge the communal impact of the offense.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Rites)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent observes Cāndrāyaṇa with moon phases depicted overhead, while scenes of protected assets—field, house, well, stepwell, tank—appear as contextual motifs.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, crescent-to-full moon arc above, penitent performing vow, stylized vāpī and taḍāga with lotus motifs, solemn dharma tone.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, moon-phase halo motif, penitent near a small shrine, gold accents on lunar disc and water-tank ornamentation, emphasis on vow discipline.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional depiction of Cāndrāyaṇa: moon-phase sequence and regulated intake, with icons for kṣetra/gṛha/kūpa/taḍāga, clean didactic layout.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, landscape with field and house, detailed stepwell architecture, penitent in foreground under a night sky with moon phases, refined architectural rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn","suggested_raga":"Malkauns","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मनुष्याणान्तु = मनुष्याणाम् तु; क्षेत्रगृहस्य = क्षेत्र-गृहस्य; वापीकूपतडागानां = वापी-कूप-तडागानाम्; शुद्धिश्चान्द्रायणं = शुद्धिः च आन्द्रायणम्; स्मृतं = स्मृतम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (Cāndrāyaṇa and other prāyaścittas)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific expiatory discipline—Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata—as the ritual purification for grave acts of theft/abduction, including misappropriating people, women, land/house, and public water resources (wells, stepwells, tanks).
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purāṇa functions as a compendium of applied Dharmaśāstra: it catalogs offenses affecting social order and public welfare (especially water infrastructure) and pairs them with standardized penances, showing its practical legal-ritual scope.
The verse frames these acts as heavy demerit-producing harms to persons and communal resources; undertaking Cāndrāyaṇa is presented as the recognized means to restore purity, reduce karmic burden, and re-align the offender with dharma through disciplined self-restraint.