Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 24
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
ब्रह्महत्या सुरापानं स्तेयं गुर्वङ्गनागमः महान्ति पातकान्याहुः संयोगश् चैव तैः सह
brahmahatyā surāpānaṃ steyaṃ gurvaṅganāgamaḥ mahānti pātakānyāhuḥ saṃyogaś caiva taiḥ saha
Ils déclarent que voici les grands péchés : tuer un brāhmane (brahmahatyā), boire une liqueur enivrante (surāpāna), voler (steya) et avoir commerce sexuel avec l’épouse de son propre guru ; ainsi que l’association ou la complicité avec ces (péchés ou pécheurs).
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana frame: Agni instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Identifying mahāpātakas (major transgressions) and recognizing that complicity/association also incurs grave demerit, guiding personal conduct and community discipline.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Mahāpātaka: four great sins and their association","lookup_keywords":["mahāpātaka","brahmahatyā","surāpāna","steya","guroḥ strīgamana"],"quick_summary":"The verse enumerates the classic four mahāpātakas—brahmin-slaying, liquor-drinking, theft, and intercourse with the guru’s wife—and adds that association/complicity with them is also gravely sinful."}
Concept: Moral gravity is not only in direct commission of great sins but also in saṅga (association/complicity), emphasizing ethical contagion and responsibility.
Application: Avoid both the acts and enabling networks (companionship, concealment, benefit-sharing) that sustain major wrongdoing.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Sin, expiation, and major transgressions)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic tableau showing four emblematic transgressions as cautionary vignettes, with a fifth motif indicating ‘association’—a figure standing with wrongdoers and sharing their gains.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, segmented narrative panels: brahmin-slaying, liquor cup, theft, illicit liaison, and a shadowy companion figure symbolizing saṅga; strong outlines, moralizing composition, temple-wall storytelling feel.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, symbolic icons arranged like a dharma chart: a sacred thread cut (brahmahatyā), a wine vessel (surā), a stolen chest (steya), forbidden couple (guru-wife), and a linked chain (association), gold accents for emphasis.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional diagrammatic layout with captions in Devanagari, clean figures and objects representing each mahāpātaka, calm didactic tone.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly moral illustration: discreet scenes of vice and crime in separate compartments, fine detailing, a scholar pointing to each as he teaches, elegant border work."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gurvaṅganāgamaḥ → guru-aṅganā-āgamaḥ; pātakānyāhuḥ → pātakāni āhuḥ; saṃyogaś caiva → saṃyogaḥ ca eva.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 168 (mahāpātaka/upapātaka taxonomy and expiations)
FAQs
It codifies the canonical Dharma-shāstra taxonomy of the four mahāpātakas (great sins) and adds that saṁyoga—association or complicity with them—is also gravely blameworthy, guiding later prāyaścitta (expiation) decisions.
Alongside ritual, polity, and arts, the Agni Purāṇa also preserves normative legal-ethical doctrine; this verse functions as a concise Dharma-shāstra index entry that anchors subsequent discussions on penance, purity, and social conduct.
It identifies actions believed to generate the heaviest karmic demerit and warns that even participation or close association can transmit moral culpability, emphasizing vigilance in conduct and company.