Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 26
Mahāpātaka-ādi-kathana
Account of the Great Sins) — concluding note incl. ‘Mārjāra-vadha’ (killing of a cat
वैश्ये ऽष्टमांशे वृत्तस्थे शूद्रे ज्ञेयस्तु षोडशः मार्जरनकुलौ हत्वा चासं मण्डूकमेव च
vaiśye 'ṣṭamāṃśe vṛttasthe śūdre jñeyastu ṣoḍaśaḥ mārjaranakulau hatvā cāsaṃ maṇḍūkameva ca
വൈശ്യനെ കൊന്നാൽ എട്ടിലൊന്നും, ശൂദ്രനെ കൊന്നാൽ പതിനാറിലൊന്നും പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം അറിയണം. പൂച്ച, കീരി, തവള എന്നിവയെ കൊന്നാലും ഇതുതന്നെയാണ് വിധി.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prayashchitta","practical_application":"Computing reduced expiation fractions by varṇa/status (Vaiśya one-eighth, Śūdra one-sixteenth) for specific minor killings (cat, mongoose, frog), enabling proportional penance assignment.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Fractional prāyaścitta for killing cat/mongoose/frog (Vaiśya 1/8, Śūdra 1/16)","lookup_keywords":["vaiśya","śūdra","aṣṭamāṃśa","ṣoḍaśa-bhāga","mārjāra-nakula-maṇḍūka-vadha"],"quick_summary":"For certain minor animal killings, the expiation is scaled: a Vaiśya performs one-eighth of the standard measure, and a Śūdra one-sixteenth, reflecting graded juridical penance."}
Concept: Proportionality and social calibration in expiation: the ‘measure’ of penance is adjusted by status and offense category.
Application: Rule-based determination of penance fractions in community adjudication and personal atonement.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Prayashchitta / Penances and Expiations)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A juridical/ritual teacher indicates fractional measures on a counting board or palm-leaf chart—1/8 and 1/16—next to small drawings of a cat, mongoose, and frog, illustrating proportional expiation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: a guru-like figure pointing to a palm-leaf chart with fractions, stylized cat/mongoose/frog icons, earthy tones, didactic composition.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate gold-bordered panel with a chart motif showing 1/8 and 1/16, small animal vignettes, dignified teacher figure, symbolic rather than graphic.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clear instructional diagram with labeled fractions and animal sketches, teacher seated with stylus and manuscript, precise linework.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: scholar in a study with ledger-like folio showing fractional calculations, delicate animal marginalia, refined detail and calm palette."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: vaiśye 'ṣṭamāṃśe→वैश्ये+अष्टम-अंशे; jñeyastu→ज्ञेयः+तु; cāsaṃ→च+असम्; maṇḍūkameva→मण्डूकम्+एव.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 169 (tables of expiations for killings and impurities)
FAQs
It gives a graded prāyaścitta scale: for the stated offence (killing a cat, mongoose, or frog), the expiation is reduced according to varṇa—one-eighth for a Vaiśya and one-sixteenth for a Śūdra—relative to the chapter’s standard measure.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana preserves Dharma-śāstra-like legal-ritual material, including quantified penances for specific acts and their social gradations, functioning as a practical handbook of conduct and purification.
It frames the killing of certain creatures as a karmically blameworthy act requiring ritual purification, and teaches that intentional wrongdoing should be countered by proportionate expiation to restore ritual and moral order.