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
அறிந்தே மீன் உண்டால் க்ருச்சிரப் பிராயச்சித்தம் செய்ய வேண்டும்; விந்து, மலம், மூத்திரம் உட்கொண்டாலும் அதே விதி. ஆனால் சாண்டாளன் அல்லது ச்வபசன் அன்னம் உண்டால் சாந்திராயணப் பிராயச்சித்தம் செய்ய வேண்டும்.
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.