Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 28
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
रेतःसेकः स्वयोन्याषु कुमारीष्वन्त्यजासु च सख्युः पुत्रस्य च स्त्रीषु गुरुतल्पसमं विदुः
retaḥsekaḥ svayonyāṣu kumārīṣvantyajāsu ca sakhyuḥ putrasya ca strīṣu gurutalpasamaṃ viduḥ
ព្រះសាស្ត្រប្រកាសថា ការបញ្ចេញទឹកកាម (រួមភេទ) ទៅលើស្ត្រីក្នុងវង្សត្រកូលខ្លួន ស្ត្រីក្រមុំ ស្ត្រីជនក្រៅវណ្ណៈ និងភរិយារបស់មិត្ត ឬភរិយារបស់កូនប្រុស គេដឹងថាស្មើនឹងអំពើបំពានលើគ្រែគ្រូ (gurutalpa)។
Lord Agni (narrating dharma/prāyaścitta material to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prāyaścitta","practical_application":"Ethical-legal classification of sexual offences to determine gravity (mahāpātaka-equivalence) and the corresponding expiation, social censure, and preventive conduct.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Gurutalpa-samāna: prohibited intercourse categories","lookup_keywords":["gurutalpa","strīsaṅga-doṣa","svayonī","kanyā","antyajā"],"quick_summary":"Intercourse with certain protected/forbidden women is declared equivalent in gravity to gurutalpa (violating the guru’s bed), triggering the highest level of sin-classification and expiatory discipline."}
Concept: Protection of lineage-order, consent/guardianship norms, and social trust (friend/son’s household) by treating violations as mahāpātaka-level.
Application: Personal restraint, safeguarding kinship boundaries, and using graded sin-taxonomy to guide confession, penance, and community adjudication.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta and Sexual-Ethics (Strī-saṅga-doṣa-nirṇaya)
Primary Rasa: bībhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dharma-assembly scene where a judge/ācārya instructs householders about forbidden sexual relations, with symbolic boundaries around kin, a maiden, an outcaste woman, and the friend/son’s wife—emphasizing prohibition and moral gravity rather than explicit depiction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, dharma-sabhā with an ācārya seated on a wooden pīṭha, palm-leaf manuscript in hand, householders listening; symbolic figures representing svayonī, kanyā, antyajā, and friend/son’s wife shown modestly with veils; warm earthy reds and greens, strong outlines, sacred didactic mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf haloed ācārya as dharma-upadeśaka, ornate arch, attendants holding śāstra-grantha; symbolic icons for prohibited relations placed in separate panels; rich jewel tones, heavy gold work, moral instruction theme.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean linework and soft shading, classroom-like śāstra instruction with labeled symbolic groups (svayonī/kanyā/antyajā/sakhī-putra-strī) on a scroll; restrained palette, emphasis on didactic clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly legal consultation in a pavilion, qazi-like dharma-judge with Sanskrit manuscript, figures arranged in discrete groups to indicate categories; fine detailing, textiles, subdued moral seriousness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: retaḥsekaḥ → retaḥ-sekaḥ; svayonyāṣu → sva-yonyāsu; kumārīṣv antyajāsu → kumārīṣu antyajāsu; gurutalpasamaṃ → guru-tulpa-samam.
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa 168 (Prāyaścitta/ācāra sections on mahāpātaka and sexual offences)
FAQs
It classifies certain prohibited sexual relations as doṣa-sāmya—legally/ritually equivalent to the mahāpātaka-like offence termed gurutalpa—guiding prāyaścitta assessment.
Alongside ritual, cosmology, and other sciences, the Agni Purāṇa also preserves Dharmaśāstra-style jurisprudence—defining offences and their relative gravity for social order and expiation.
By equating these acts with gurutalpa, the text signals severe karmic demerit and social-ritual impurity, implying the need for stringent restraint and, where applicable, heavy expiation.