Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 26
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
ब्रह्मोज्झ्यवेदनिन्दा च कौटसाक्ष्यं सुहृद्बधः गर्हितान्नाज्ययोर्जग्धिः सुरापानसमानि षट्
brahmojjhyavedanindā ca kauṭasākṣyaṃ suhṛdbadhaḥ garhitānnājyayorjagdhiḥ surāpānasamāni ṣaṭ
Négliger les devoirs brahmaniques, outrager le Veda, porter un faux témoignage, tuer un ami, manger une nourriture blâmée ou impure et consommer du ghee de manière impropre—ces six fautes sont déclarées équivalentes au péché de boire l’alcool (surāpāna).
Lord Agni (in dialogue, traditionally instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Rajadharma","practical_application":"Classifying upapātakas/serious offences equated with surāpāna to guide confession, penance, and legal-moral evaluation (false testimony, Veda-nindā, betrayal of friends, impure diet).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Six offences equal to surāpāna","lookup_keywords":["veda-nindā","kūṭa-sākṣya","suhṛd-vadha","garhita-anna","ajya-doṣa","surāpāna-samatā"],"quick_summary":"Six acts—neglect of brahmanical duty, reviling the Veda, false testimony, killing a friend, eating censured food, and improper ghee consumption—are declared equivalent in sin to drinking liquor."}
Concept: Dharma is upheld through duty, reverence for śruti, truth in testimony, loyalty, and purity of consumption; violations corrode social and ritual order like intoxication does.
Application: Maintain integrity in courts, protect friendships, keep reverence for learning, and observe food discipline as part of ethical life.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Sin, expiation, and juridical-ethical rules)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moral-legal montage: a witness giving false testimony, a person mocking a Veda recitation, a friend struck down, and a meal scene showing censured food and improper ghee—presented as warnings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sequential panels with strong gestures: courtroom false witness, Veda reciter with a mocker, betrayal of a friend, and impure meal; temple-storytelling composition, earthy reds and ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, emblematic icons arranged symmetrically: palm-leaf Veda with a crossed mark (nindā), witness hand on oath (false), broken friendship bracelet (suhṛd-vadha), plate of impure food and ghee vessel; gold highlights for didactic emphasis.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional storyboard with clear labels, refined linework, calm but cautionary expressions, focus on ethical teaching.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior scenes: court testimony, scholarly gathering, domestic dining; fine textiles and utensils, moral contrast through posture and gaze."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: brahmojjhyavedanindā → brahma-ujjhya-veda-nindā; suhṛdbadhaḥ → suhṛd-badhaḥ; garhitānnājyayorjagdhiḥ → garhita-anna-ājyayoḥ jagdhiḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 168 (sin equivalences; prāyaścitta gradations)
FAQs
It gives a dharma-legal equivalence rule: six specific transgressions are classified as karmically equal to surā-pāna (liquor-drinking), guiding later prāyaścitta (expiation) decisions.
Beyond mythology, it functions like a Dharmaśāstra digest—cataloging offenses (perjury, Veda-revilement, forbidden consumption, betrayal/violence) and mapping them to standardized sin-grades used for governance, ethics, and ritual expiation.
It warns that these acts carry the same heavy demerit as liquor-drinking, a major purity-violating offense; the teaching is meant to deter them and to signal the need for serious purification/expiation if committed.