Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 18
Mahāpātaka-ādi-kathana
Account of the Great Sins) — concluding note incl. ‘Mārjāra-vadha’ (killing of a cat
अथवा गार्धभञ्चर्म वसित्वाब्दञ्चरेन्महीं हत्वा गर्भमविज्ञातं ब्रह्महत्याव्रतं चरेत्
athavā gārdhabhañcarma vasitvābdañcarenmahīṃ hatvā garbhamavijñātaṃ brahmahatyāvrataṃ caret
ឬម្យ៉ាងទៀត ពាក់ស្បែកលា ហើយរស់នៅដូចវ្រតៈរយៈមួយឆ្នាំ ដើរល្បាតលើផែនដី; ប្រសិនបើបានបំផ្លាញគភ៌ដោយមិនដឹង (មិនស្គាល់) គួរធ្វើវ្រតៈសម្រាប់ការសងសេចក្តីបាបនៃ «ព្រហ្មហត្យា» (ការសម្លាប់ព្រហ្មណ៍)។
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha, in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Guidance for prāyaścitta when fetal destruction has occurred unknowingly: adopting a specific expiatory observance (donkey-hide garment, earth-wandering for a year) aligned with brahmahatyā-vrata severity.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Prāyaścitta for unknowingly destroying a pregnancy (treated as brahmahatyā-vrata)","lookup_keywords":["prāyaścitta","garbha-hatyā","gārdabha-carma","brahmahatyā-vrata","parivrajya"],"quick_summary":"For the grave sin of destroying an unrecognized pregnancy, the text prescribes a severe expiation: wearing donkey-hide and wandering for a year, undertaking the brahmahatyā-type vow to restore ritual and social purity."}
Concept: Prāyaścitta scales with the perceived moral/ritual gravity of harm; even unknowing transgression can require rigorous atonement to re-establish dharmic order.
Application: Adopt structured penance (time-bound, visible markers, restraint) to acknowledge harm and regain eligibility for rites and community standing.
Khanda Section: Dharma–Prāyaścitta (Atonements and expiatory rites)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent wearing a rough donkey-hide, staff in hand, walking alone across varied landscapes for a year-long vow, conveying austerity and social renunciation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, solitary ascetic figure in donkey-hide cloak, earthy palette, stylized hills and village silhouettes, strong contour lines, mood of penance and restraint.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central penitent with minimal ornaments, gold background used sparingly as halo of resolve, symbolic earth path and calendar motifs indicating one year, rich but solemn colors.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, narrative panel sequence: donning donkey-hide, leaving home, walking through forest and fields, receiving alms, restrained expressions, fine linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed landscape with roads, travelers and villages, penitent in coarse hide garment, subdued tones, realistic terrain and seasonal cues to suggest a year."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: gārdhabham + carma → gārdhabhañcarma (m + c → ñc); vasitvā + abdam → vasitvābdam; abdam + caret → abdañcaret (m + c → ñc); caret + mahīm → carenmahīm (t → n before m); garbham + avijñātam → garbhamavijñātam; brahmahatyā + vratam → brahmahatyāvratam
Related Themes: Agni Purana: prāyaścitta catalogues for mahāpātakas and upapātakas (same khanda/sequence)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific prāyaścitta procedure: wearing donkey-hide and wandering for a year, and treating the destruction of a pregnancy as requiring the brahmahatyā-type expiatory vow.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purāṇa compiles applied dharma—legal-ritual norms and graded penances—functioning like a handbook of ethics and expiation alongside its many other subjects.
It frames garbha-hatyā (destruction of pregnancy) as a grave karmic act and directs a rigorous vow to purify the doer, emphasizing restoration of moral order through disciplined expiation.