Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 5
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
औषधाद्युपकारे तु न पापं स्यात् कृते मृते पुत्रं शिष्यन्तथा भार्यां शासते न मृते ह्य् अघं
auṣadhādyupakāre tu na pāpaṃ syāt kṛte mṛte putraṃ śiṣyantathā bhāryāṃ śāsate na mṛte hy aghaṃ
ਦਵਾਈ ਆਦਿ ਦੇ ਉਪਕਾਰ ਲਈ ਕੀਤਾ ਕੰਮ, ਜੇ ਉਸ ਨਾਲ ਮੌਤ ਵੀ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇ, ਤਾਂ ਪਾਪ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ। ਇਸੇ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਪੁੱਤਰ, ਸ਼ਿਸ਼੍ਯ ਜਾਂ ਪਤਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਅਨੁਸ਼ਾਸਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੱਖਦਿਆਂ ਅਣਜਾਣੇ ਮੌਤ ਹੋ ਜਾਵੇ ਤਾਂ ਵੀ ਦੋਸ਼ ਨਹੀਂ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ।
Lord Agni (narrating Agni Purana’s dharma and legal-ethical rules)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Ayurveda","practical_application":"Clarifies exceptions where unintended death does not incur sin: medical aid and reasonable discipline; informs physicians, householders, and judges about absence of culpability when intent is beneficent and harm is accidental.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"No sin in unintended death during medical aid or discipline","lookup_keywords":["auṣadha","upakāra","anapekṣita-mṛtyu","śāsana","vyavahāra"],"quick_summary":"Beneficial acts like administering medicine are not sinful even if death occurs. Similarly, unintended death during legitimate chastisement of dependents is treated as non-culpable."}
Concept: Dharma evaluates intention (upakāra) and rightful context (adhikāra) alongside outcome; accidental death in beneficent or corrective duty is not automatically pāpa.
Application: For courts and communities: distinguish malpractice/cruelty from bona fide treatment or proportionate discipline; for practitioners: maintain care and non-violent intent.
Khanda Section: Rajadharma & Vyavahara (Law, Punishment, and Sin/Expiation)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Two parallel scenes: a physician administering medicine to a patient with attendants; and a householder/teacher disciplining a son or student with measured correction—both framed by a dharma-scale showing ‘no pāpa’ when death is unintended.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, left panel: vaidya with medicine bowl and herbs, right panel: guru/householder with restrained corrective gesture, dharma-scale motif above reading ‘anagha’, warm earthy palette and bold outlines","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, physician scene with gold-highlighted medicine vessels and herbs, second scene with teacher and student, ornate gold borders, central inscription ‘na pāpam’","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional diptych: ‘auṣadhopacāra’ and ‘śāsana’, careful depiction of tools (mortar, bowl) and calm postures, soft shading and clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, clinic-like interior with physician and patient, and a madrasa/gurukula-like setting for discipline; fine detail, naturalistic faces, explanatory cartouches about intent and accident"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: auṣadhādyupakāre → auṣadha-ādi-upakāre; h्य् अघं → hi agham.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (liability rules and prāyaścitta gradations around homicide and exceptions)
FAQs
It states a dharma-legal principle: actions performed as beneficial aid (e.g., medical treatment) are not counted as sin even if death results, and certain disciplinary acts within household/teacherly authority are treated as faultless when death is unintended.
It blends practical domains—medicine (auṣadha) and governance/discipline (śāsana)—into a rule of culpability, showing how the Agni Purana functions as a compendium of applied ethics, law (vyavahāra), and social order (rājadharma).
Karmic blame hinges on intention and rightful duty: beneficial intent in healing and duty-bound correction, when not driven by malice, is presented as non-sinful even if an unintended fatal outcome occurs.