Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 9
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
मत्या भुक्त्वा चरेत् कृच्छ्रं रेतोविण्मूत्रमेव च चण्डालश्वपचान्नन्तु भुक्त्वा चान्द्रायणं चरेत्
matyā bhuktvā caret kṛcchraṃ retoviṇmūtrameva ca caṇḍālaśvapacānnantu bhuktvā cāndrāyaṇaṃ caret
ਜਾਣ ਬੁੱਝ ਕੇ ਮੱਛੀ ਖਾਣ ਤੇ ਕ੍ਰਿਚਛ੍ਰ ਪ੍ਰਾਯਸ਼ਚਿੱਤ ਕਰੇ; ਅਤੇ ਵੀਰਯ, ਮਲ ਤੇ ਮੂਤਰ ਦੇ ਸੇਵਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਇਹੀ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਹੈ। ਪਰ ਚੰਡਾਲ ਜਾਂ ਸ਼ਵਪਚ ਦਾ ਅੰਨ ਖਾਣ ਤੇ ਚਾਂਦ੍ਰਾਯਣ ਵ੍ਰਤ ਕਰੇ।
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s didactic frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Classifies transgressive ingestions and maps each to a specific penance (Kṛcchra vs Cāndrāyaṇa) for ritual rehabilitation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Penance mapping for forbidden ingestion (Kṛcchra; Cāndrāyaṇa)","lookup_keywords":["kṛcchra","cāndrāyaṇa","matsya-bhakṣaṇa","aśuci-dravya","caṇḍāla-annam"],"quick_summary":"Eating fish or ingesting semen, feces, or urine requires Kṛcchra; consuming food from a Caṇḍāla or Śvapaca requires the heavier Cāndrāyaṇa penance."}
Concept: Prāyaścitta as proportional correction: heavier social/ritual contamination entails heavier vrata.
Application: When a breach occurs, select the prescribed penance rather than improvising; treat penance as a structured return to eligibility for rites.
Khanda Section: Dharma-prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Atonements)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dharma-teacher enumerates forbidden ingestions; two parallel panels show Kṛcchra austerity on one side and lunar-month Cāndrāyaṇa discipline on the other.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, didactic composition; guru with palm-leaf manuscript listing ‘kṛcchra’ and ‘cāndrāyaṇa’; left vignette of kṛcchra (simple meal, controlled posture), right vignette of moon phases above a practitioner marking cāndrāyaṇa; stylized lotus borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style with gold; central seated ācārya; gold moon disc motif for cāndrāyaṇa; devotees performing austerities with minimal food; ornate but clear icon-like layout.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional clarity; diagrammatic moon-phase arc over a practitioner for cāndrāyaṇa; separate box for kṛcchra regimen; fine detailing of water pot, kusa grass seat, and measured portions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature; scholar in a library-like setting; marginalia shows a moon calendar and a fasting practitioner; another marginal scene shows kṛcchra austerity; rich textiles, precise faces."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: रेतोविण्मूत्रमेव = रेतो-विण्-मूत्रम् + एव; चण्डालश्वपचान्नन्तु = चण्डाल-श्वपच-अन्नम् + तु; भुक्त्वा चान्द्रायणं = भुक्त्वा + च + आन्द्रायणम् (cāndrāyaṇam).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 168 (prāyaścitta gradations; kṛcchra/cāndrāyaṇa mentions)
FAQs
It prescribes specific prāyaścittas: Kṛcchra for consuming fish and for ingesting semen, feces, or urine; and Cāndrāyaṇa for consuming food associated with Caṇḍāla/Śvapaca (as defined in Dharmaśāstra purity codes).
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana catalogs applied Dharma—detailed expiation procedures for particular impurities—showing its compendium-like coverage of religious law and practical penance regimes.
The verse frames transgressive or polluting intake as generating ritual and karmic impurity, to be neutralized through graded austerities (Kṛcchra/Cāndrāyaṇa) aimed at restoring purity and eligibility for rites.