Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 34
Chapter 370: नरकनिरूपणम्
Naraka-nirūpaṇa) — Description of Hell (with the physiology of dying and the subtle transition
धान्यं हृत्वातिरिक्ताङ्गः पिशुनः पूतिनासिकः तैलहृत्तैलपायी स्यात् पूतिवक्त्रस्तु सूचकः
dhānyaṃ hṛtvātiriktāṅgaḥ piśunaḥ pūtināsikaḥ tailahṛttailapāyī syāt pūtivaktrastu sūcakaḥ
អ្នកលួចស្រូវធញ្ញ នឹងក្លាយជាមនុស្សពិការ ដោយមានអវយវៈលើសមួយ។ អ្នកនិយាយបង្កាច់ នឹងមានច្រមុះក្លិនស្អុយ។ អ្នកលួចប្រេង នឹងក្លាយជាអ្នកផឹកប្រេង; ចំណែកអ្នកជាស៊ើបការណ៍/អ្នកចោទប្រកាន់ នឹងក្លាយជាមនុស្សមាត់ស្អុយ។
Lord Agni (teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Warns against property crimes (grain, oil) and social harms (slander, informing) by specifying embodied retributions; relevant to governance ethics, community harmony, and personal restraint.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Karmavipāka for theft and social harms","lookup_keywords":["dhānya-haraṇa","ati-riktāṅga","piśuna","taila-hṛt","sūcaka"],"quick_summary":"Stealing grain yields bodily deformity (extra limb); slander yields a foul-smelling nose; stealing oil yields compulsion to drink oil; informing/accusing yields a foul mouth—teaching that harm returns as matching defect."}
Concept: Ethical causality extends to speech-acts and civic behavior: theft and harmful reporting/slander imprint the body and habits in future embodiment.
Application: Promote fair trade and honest administration; discourage slander and malicious informing; encourage restitution and truthful speech.
Khanda Section: Naraka–Karma-vipaka (Sin, retribution, and karmic consequences)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Four cautionary vignettes: grain theft leading to a person with an extra limb; a slanderer with a visibly foul nose; an oil thief compelled to drink oil; an informer with a stinking mouth, all under the moral gaze of Dharma/Yama.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, four horizontal panels with stylized deformity and odor-symbols (dark vapors from nose/mouth), oil jar and grain sack motifs, Yama/Dharma at edge holding staff and ledger, bold colors and outlines.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-embossed frames for each vignette, central Dharma figure with halo, vivid depiction of oil vessel and grain bundles, decorative borders, rich reds/greens with gold highlights.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional layout with clear labels, subtle shading showing extra limb anatomy, odor indicated by fine curling lines, calm didactic composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, marketplace scene for grain and oil theft, court/administrative scene for informing, expressive portraits showing deformity and foul breath, detailed textiles and architecture, fine brushwork."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: हृत्वा + अतिरिक्ताङ्गः → हृत्वातिरिक्ताङ्गः; तैलहृत् + तैलपायी (juxtaposition); पूतिवक्त्रः + तु → पूतिवक्त्रस्तु
Related Themes: Agni Purana 370 (theft categories and corresponding vipāka)
FAQs
It teaches karma-vipāka: specific moral transgressions (theft, slander, informing) are said to manifest as identifiable bodily defects or degradations, serving as a dharmic warning.
Alongside rituals, polity, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also systematizes ethics and jurisprudential ideas by mapping actions to consequences—functioning like a moral-legal catalogue of sins and their results.
The verse underscores that harmful acts—stealing essential goods, harming others through slander, or denouncing with malice—carry unavoidable karmic fruition that can manifest visibly, encouraging restraint, truthfulness, and non-injury.