Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 37
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
स्त्रीशूद्रविट्क्षत्रबधो नास्तिक्यञ्चोपपातकं ब्राह्मणस्य रुजः कृत्यं घ्रातिरघ्रेयमद्ययोः
strīśūdraviṭkṣatrabadho nāstikyañcopapātakaṃ brāhmaṇasya rujaḥ kṛtyaṃ ghrātiraghreyamadyayoḥ
ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣನಿಗೆ ಸ್ತ್ರೀ, ಶೂದ್ರ, ವೈಶ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯನ ವಧೆ, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನಾಸ್ತಿಕ್ಯ—ಇವು ಉಪಪಾತಕ (ದ್ವಿತೀಯ ಪಾಪ)ಗಳು. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ, ನೋವುಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದು (ರುಜಾ), ಕೃತ್ಯಾ (ಅಭಿಚಾರ/ಕಪ್ಪು ಕರ್ಮ), ಮತ್ತು ವಾಸನೆ ಮಾಡಬಾರದದ್ದನ್ನು ಹಾಗೂ ಮದ್ಯದ ವಾಸನೆಯನ್ನು ವಾಸನೆ ನೋಡುವುದು—ಇವೂ (ಉಪಪಾತಕ)ಗಳೇ।
Lord Agni (narrating dharma and prāyaścitta norms to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Sin-classification for prāyaścitta: identifies upapātakas for a Brāhmaṇa—certain killings, nāstikya, causing injury, black rites, and prohibited smelling—guiding confession, restraint, and expiation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Upapātaka list for a Brāhmaṇa (selected secondary sins)","lookup_keywords":["upapātaka","nāstikya","kṛtyā","rujā-karaṇa","aghrēya-ghrāṇa"],"quick_summary":"Defines specific acts as upapātakas: killing certain persons, unbelief, injuring others, performing kṛtyā (harmful rites), and sensory transgressions like smelling forbidden substances including liquor."}
Concept: Moral hierarchy of transgressions: even ‘secondary’ sins (upapātaka) seriously obstruct purity; faith (āstikya), non-injury, and avoidance of harmful rites and intoxicants are mandatory for dhārmic life.
Application: For prāyaścitta counseling: classify the act, stop the cause (hiṃsā/kṛtyā/madya contact), adopt restraint and prescribed expiation under a competent authority.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Upapātakas)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dharma-ācārya enumerates upapātakas to a Brāhmaṇa; shadowed vignettes show violence against protected persons, a skeptic rejecting sacred authority, a sorcerer performing kṛtyā with effigies, and a person recoiling from a liquor vessel’s smell.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, central rishi-teacher with palm-leaf text; surrounding symbolic panels: forbidden killing, nāstikya figure turning away from yajña, kṛtyā rite with effigy and dark flames, and a liquor pot emitting fumes; stylized expressions and ritual motifs.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with gold: central Brāhmaṇa receiving instruction; gold-framed cautionary mini-scenes of kṛtyā and madya; rich reds, temple arch, embossed ornaments.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear didactic layout: labeled upapātaka items (badhā, nāstikya, rujā, kṛtyā, aghrēya-ghrāṇa); precise ritual objects and restrained palette.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar’s chamber with a jurist explaining; marginal scenes: clandestine sorcery, a liquor shop, a violent act stopped by guards; fine linework, realistic faces, architectural depth."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"penitential","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: Resolved: नास्तिक्यञ्चोपपातकं→नास्तिक्यम्+च+उपपातकम्; घ्रातिरघ्रेयमद्ययोः→घ्रातिः+अघ्रेयमद्ययोः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana: prāyaścitta procedures following upapātaka definitions; Agni Purana: dharma sections on āstikya and sadācāra
FAQs
It classifies specific acts—certain killings, nāstikya, causing injury, kṛtyā (harmful rites), and contact with forbidden smells/liquor—as upapātakas for a Brāhmaṇa, guiding what requires prāyaścitta (ritual expiation).
Alongside ritual and theology, the text also systematizes legal-ethical categories (sin taxonomy and purity rules), showing its dharma-shāstra-like coverage within a Purāṇic framework.
By naming these as upapātakas, it signals they generate serious demerit and ritual impurity but are remediable through prescribed expiations, emphasizing accountability and restoration of dharmic conduct.