Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 28
Adhyaya 165 — नानाधर्माः
Various Dharmas
पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रे तु जायते ब्रह्मराक्षसः प्लवेन लभते मोक्षं कुलस्योत्सादनेन वा
pūrṇe varṣasahasre tu jāyate brahmarākṣasaḥ plavena labhate mokṣaṃ kulasyotsādanena vā
പൂർണ്ണമായ ആയിരം വർഷം പൂർത്തിയായാൽ ഒരാൾ ബ്രഹ്മരാക്ഷസനാകുന്നു. അവൻ ‘പ്ലവ’ എന്ന ശുദ്ധീകരണ-താരണമെന്ന കർമത്തിലൂടെയോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ സ്വന്തം കുലനാശത്തിലൂടെയോ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Guidance for expiation and post-mortem ritual logic concerning preta/brahmarākṣasa states and the exceptional means of release described in the text.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Brahmarākṣasa: duration and modes of mokṣa (plava / kulotsādana)","lookup_keywords":["brahmarākṣasa","plava","mokṣa","kulotsādana","preta-karma"],"quick_summary":"After a thousand-year completion, the being is described as a brahmarākṣasa; release is said to occur either through a ‘plava’ rite (a carrying-over purification) or through the drastic karmic resolution of lineage-destruction."}
Concept: Karmaphala in afterlife states and exceptional apavarga (release) mechanisms tied to ritual ‘crossing-over’ (plava) or severe karmic termination (kulotsādana).
Application: Frames the ethical urgency of dharma and expiation by portraying long-duration consequences and rare exit-paths from a condemned post-mortem condition.
Khanda Section: Preta-Karma and Afterlife Doctrines (Ghosts, expiation, liberation)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A fearsome brahmarākṣasa figure at the threshold of the afterlife, with a symbolic ‘plava’ as a raft/bridge of purification over dark waters; in the background, a fading family tree signifying kulotsādana as a grim alternative.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, deep earthy reds and greens, brahmarākṣasa with intense eyes and matted hair, dark river of saṃsāra, a luminous ritual raft (plava) with Vedic symbols, priests performing expiatory rites on the bank, dramatic chiaroscuro.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central brahmarākṣasa rendered with stylized ornaments, gold-leaf halo around a symbolic mokṣa-path raft, embossed ritual implements (kuśa, kalaśa), ornate border, strong icon-like composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, instructional vignette: left panel shows the condemned state after ‘thousand years’; right panel shows plava rite as a crossing with priests and mantra-scrolls; muted palette with delicate shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, narrative split-scene: a dark river crossing with a small raft labeled plava, a spectral brahmarākṣasa approaching release; background includes a genealogical tree motif with withering branches; fine detailing, naturalistic water and textiles."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: kulasya+utsādanena → kulasyotsādanena; compounds: varṣa-sahasra (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष), brahma-rākṣasa (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 165 (Preta-karma / nānādhama context); Agni Purana 166 (transition into varṇāśrama-dharma)
FAQs
It states a timed karmic consequence (a thousand-year condition culminating in brahmarākṣasa status) and gives two stated exit-paths: release through a plava (a ‘crossing-over’ purificatory means/rite) or through the termination of one’s lineage.
Alongside ritual and dharma topics, the Agni Purana also systematizes afterlife taxonomy—types of post-death states (like brahmarākṣasa), their duration, and remedial pathways—functioning like a reference manual on karmic outcomes and expiations.
The verse frames brahmarākṣasa existence as a long-term karmic fruition and emphasizes that liberation may come through a prescribed ‘crossing’ purification or, grimly, through the exhaustion/ruin of one’s familial line—highlighting both individual and lineage-linked karma.