Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 1
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे सर्वपापप्रायश्चित्ते पापनाशनस्तोत्रं नाम द्विसप्तत्यधिकशततमो ऽध्यायः अथ त्रिसप्तत्यधिकशततमो ऽध्यायः प्रायश्चित्तं अग्निर् उवाच प्रायश्चित्तं ब्रह्णोक्तं वक्ष्ये पापोपशान्तिदं स्यात् प्राणवियोगफलो व्यापारो हननं स्मृतं
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe sarvapāpaprāyaścitte pāpanāśanastotraṃ nāma dvisaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ atha trisaptatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ prāyaścittaṃ agnir uvāca prāyaścittaṃ brahṇoktaṃ vakṣye pāpopaśāntidaṃ syāt prāṇaviyogaphalo vyāpāro hananaṃ smṛtaṃ
इस प्रकार अग्नि महापुराण में सर्वपाप-प्रायश्चित्त-प्रकरण के अंतर्गत ‘पापनाशन-स्तोत्र’ नामक एक सौ बहत्तरवाँ अध्याय समाप्त हुआ। अब प्रायश्चित्त विषयक एक सौ तिहत्तरवाँ अध्याय आरम्भ होता है। अग्नि बोले—मैं ब्रह्मा द्वारा कहा गया वह प्रायश्चित्त बताता हूँ जो पाप की शान्ति करता है। जिस कर्म का फल प्राण-वियोग (मृत्यु) हो, उसे ‘हनन’ (वध) कहा गया है।
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Defines the juridical/ethical threshold of ‘killing’ (hanana) for assigning guilt and prescribing expiation in cases of death-causing acts.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Hanana (Killing) — prāṇaviyoga-phala vyāpāra","lookup_keywords":["hanana","prāṇaviyoga","prāyaścitta","pāpa-upaśānti","brahmokta"],"quick_summary":"‘Killing’ is defined as an act whose operative result is separation of the life-breath (death). This definition becomes the basis for classifying sins and selecting expiations."}
Concept: Karma is assessed by causal efficacy (vyāpāra) culminating in prāṇaviyoga; moral/legal categories depend on the effect produced.
Application: Use the effect-based definition to distinguish homicide from non-lethal harm and to determine the appropriate prāyaścitta.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta & Dharma-śāstra (Sin-removal rites and expiations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Agni as teacher expounds a formal definition of ‘killing’ to an assembly of sages; a palm-leaf manuscript and a symbolic ‘prāṇa’ departing the body illustrate prāṇaviyoga.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Agni-deva seated with flaming aureole, rishis in attentive posture, palm-leaf manuscript, symbolic white prāṇa-stream leaving a body silhouette, earthy reds and ochres, flat decorative composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, Agni with ornate crown and gold foil halo, sages with folded hands, manuscript on a pedestal, stylized flame motifs, rich jewel tones, heavy gold work","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, clean linework, instructional tableau: Agni pointing to a manuscript defining hanana, small inset showing prāṇa departing, muted palette with delicate shading","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly scholarly gathering around a fire-deity figure, fine architectural pavilion, calligraphic cartouche with ‘prāṇaviyoga’, inset vignette of life-breath leaving, detailed textiles and faces"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ity āgneye → iti āgneye; 'śatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ' → śatatamaḥ adhyāyaḥ; agnir uvāca → agniḥ uvāca; bhrahṇoktaṃ treated as brahma-uktam; pāpopaśāntidaṃ → pāpa-upaśānti-dam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 172 (Pāpanāśana-stotra); Agni Purana 173 (Prāyaścitta section, definitions of mahāpātaka and liability)
FAQs
It introduces the Prāyaścitta-vidyā (expiatory discipline) attributed to Brahmā and provides a technical definition of “hanana” (killing) as any act whose outcome is the loss of life (prāṇa-viyoga).
By combining chapter colophons, ritual jurisprudence (prāyaścitta rules), and precise ethical definitions (what counts as killing), it functions like a dharma reference manual within the Purāṇa’s wide-ranging compendium.
It frames expiation as a means to pacify karmic demerit and clarifies that acts leading to death carry a distinct moral weight, guiding appropriate atonement for life-harming actions.