Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 52
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
सपिण्डापत्यदारेषु प्राणत्यागो विधीयते यत् करोत्येकरात्रेण वृषलीसेवनं द्विजः
sapiṇḍāpatyadāreṣu prāṇatyāgo vidhīyate yat karotyekarātreṇa vṛṣalīsevanaṃ dvijaḥ
ਸਪਿੰਡ ਇਸਤਰੀ, ਪੁੱਤਰ ਦੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਜਾਂ ਨੂੰਹ ਨਾਲ ਅਨੈਤਿਕ ਸੰਬੰਧ ਕਰਨ ਤੇ ਪ੍ਰਾਯਸ਼ਚਿੱਤ ਵਜੋਂ ਪ੍ਰਾਣ-ਤਿਆਗ ਹੀ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਹੈ; ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਦਵਿਜ ਇੱਕ ਰਾਤ ਵੀ ਵ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਲੀ ਦਾ ਸੰਗ ਕਰੇ ਤਾਂ ਭਾਰੀ ਪਾਪ ਦਾ ਭਾਗੀ ਬਣਦਾ ਹੈ।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Vasiṣṭha, within the Agni Purana’s dharma/prāyaścitta instruction)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Determining the gravest class of sexual transgressions and the corresponding prāyaścitta (here, the text prescribes prāṇatyāga) to preserve social-ritual order and personal accountability.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Prāṇatyāga as expiation for sapinda/apatya-dāra transgression and vṛṣalī-sevana","lookup_keywords":["sapinda","apatyadāra","prāṇatyāga","vṛṣalī-sevana","prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"For certain incestuous/lineage-violating unions (sapinda; son’s wife/daughter-in-law), the expiation is stated as giving up one’s life; the verse equates even one-night vṛṣalī-sevana by a dvija with a sin of comparable gravity."}
Concept: Atipātaka-level violations of kinship/lineage boundaries demand the harshest expiation; dharma is framed as protective of kula and śāstra-maryādā.
Application: Use as a normative rule in dharma-nirṇaya contexts (householder conduct, adjudication by elders/ācāryas) to classify offenses and their penances.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and purity laws)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A solemn dharma-assembly scene where a dvija is admonished for forbidden relations (sapinda/son’s wife), with a stark depiction of the gravity of prāṇatyāga as expiation—no eroticism, only juridical-ritual severity.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, muted earth reds and greens, a dharma-sabhā with seated brāhmaṇa elders, palm-leaf manuscripts, the accused dvija standing with folded hands, austere atmosphere, symbolic flames of Agni in the background, non-graphic moral tableau.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf haloed Agni as witness, a courtly dharma-sabhā with ornate pillars, the dvija in white, elders holding śāstra, emphasis on sacred authority and penance, rich reds and gold, no explicit content.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, clean linework, instructional tableau: labeled figures (ācārya, dvija), manuscript open to prāyaścitta rules, restrained palette, focus on didactic clarity and ritual seriousness.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, finely detailed indoor assembly, scholars debating, the accused penitent in humility, calligraphic cartouche indicating ‘prāṇatyāga prāyaścitta’, subdued dramatic lighting, moral-legal tone."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सपिण्डापत्यदारेषु = सपिण्ड-अपत्य-दारेषु; करोत्येकरात्रेण = करोति + एकरात्रेण.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (Prāyaścitta section: sexual transgressions and graded penances); Agni Purana 174 (pūjā-lopa prāyaścitta begins thereafter)
FAQs
It prescribes a prāyaścitta (expiation) of prāṇatyāga (giving up one’s life) for specified gravely forbidden sexual relations—especially sapinda relations and relations with a son’s wife/daughter-in-law—framing them as mahāpātaka-level offenses.
Alongside theology and ritual, the Agni Purana also compiles dharma-shāstra style norms—definitions (sapinda, dvija, vṛṣalī) and graded expiations—showing its coverage of social law, purity regulations, and penance systems.
The verse treats these acts as extremely destructive to dharma and lineage-purity, implying severe karmic downfall; hence it mandates the harshest expiation, signaling the act’s near-irremediable moral gravity in the text’s framework.