Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 26
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
ब्रह्मोज्झ्यवेदनिन्दा च कौटसाक्ष्यं सुहृद्बधः गर्हितान्नाज्ययोर्जग्धिः सुरापानसमानि षट्
brahmojjhyavedanindā ca kauṭasākṣyaṃ suhṛdbadhaḥ garhitānnājyayorjagdhiḥ surāpānasamāni ṣaṭ
ब्रह्मोज्झ्यवेदनिन्दा च कौटसाक्ष्यं सुहृद्बधः गर्हितान्नाज्ययोर्जग्धिः—एतानि षट् सुरापानसमानि पापानि प्रकीर्तितानि।
Lord Agni (in dialogue, traditionally instructing sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Rajadharma","practical_application":"Classifying upapātakas/serious offences equated with surāpāna to guide confession, penance, and legal-moral evaluation (false testimony, Veda-nindā, betrayal of friends, impure diet).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Six offences equal to surāpāna","lookup_keywords":["veda-nindā","kūṭa-sākṣya","suhṛd-vadha","garhita-anna","ajya-doṣa","surāpāna-samatā"],"quick_summary":"Six acts—neglect of brahmanical duty, reviling the Veda, false testimony, killing a friend, eating censured food, and improper ghee consumption—are declared equivalent in sin to drinking liquor."}
Concept: Dharma is upheld through duty, reverence for śruti, truth in testimony, loyalty, and purity of consumption; violations corrode social and ritual order like intoxication does.
Application: Maintain integrity in courts, protect friendships, keep reverence for learning, and observe food discipline as part of ethical life.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Sin, expiation, and juridical-ethical rules)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A moral-legal montage: a witness giving false testimony, a person mocking a Veda recitation, a friend struck down, and a meal scene showing censured food and improper ghee—presented as warnings.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sequential panels with strong gestures: courtroom false witness, Veda reciter with a mocker, betrayal of a friend, and impure meal; temple-storytelling composition, earthy reds and ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, emblematic icons arranged symmetrically: palm-leaf Veda with a crossed mark (nindā), witness hand on oath (false), broken friendship bracelet (suhṛd-vadha), plate of impure food and ghee vessel; gold highlights for didactic emphasis.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional storyboard with clear labels, refined linework, calm but cautionary expressions, focus on ethical teaching.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior scenes: court testimony, scholarly gathering, domestic dining; fine textiles and utensils, moral contrast through posture and gaze."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: brahmojjhyavedanindā → brahma-ujjhya-veda-nindā; suhṛdbadhaḥ → suhṛd-badhaḥ; garhitānnājyayorjagdhiḥ → garhita-anna-ājyayoḥ jagdhiḥ.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 168 (sin equivalences; prāyaścitta gradations)
FAQs
It gives a dharma-legal equivalence rule: six specific transgressions are classified as karmically equal to surā-pāna (liquor-drinking), guiding later prāyaścitta (expiation) decisions.
Beyond mythology, it functions like a Dharmaśāstra digest—cataloging offenses (perjury, Veda-revilement, forbidden consumption, betrayal/violence) and mapping them to standardized sin-grades used for governance, ethics, and ritual expiation.
It warns that these acts carry the same heavy demerit as liquor-drinking, a major purity-violating offense; the teaching is meant to deter them and to signal the need for serious purification/expiation if committed.