Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 28
Chapter 168 — महापातकादिकथनम्
Exposition of Great Sins and Related Topics
रेतःसेकः स्वयोन्याषु कुमारीष्वन्त्यजासु च सख्युः पुत्रस्य च स्त्रीषु गुरुतल्पसमं विदुः
retaḥsekaḥ svayonyāṣu kumārīṣvantyajāsu ca sakhyuḥ putrasya ca strīṣu gurutalpasamaṃ viduḥ
స్వయోన్య స్త్రీలలో, కన్యలలో, అంత్యజ స్త్రీలలో, అలాగే మిత్రుని లేదా కుమారుని భార్యలో రేతఃసేకం (సంభోగం) చేయుటను గురుతల్పాపరాధసమానమని శాస్త్రం ప్రకటిస్తుంది।
Lord Agni (narrating dharma/prāyaścitta material to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prāyaścitta","practical_application":"Ethical-legal classification of sexual offences to determine gravity (mahāpātaka-equivalence) and the corresponding expiation, social censure, and preventive conduct.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Gurutalpa-samāna: prohibited intercourse categories","lookup_keywords":["gurutalpa","strīsaṅga-doṣa","svayonī","kanyā","antyajā"],"quick_summary":"Intercourse with certain protected/forbidden women is declared equivalent in gravity to gurutalpa (violating the guru’s bed), triggering the highest level of sin-classification and expiatory discipline."}
Concept: Protection of lineage-order, consent/guardianship norms, and social trust (friend/son’s household) by treating violations as mahāpātaka-level.
Application: Personal restraint, safeguarding kinship boundaries, and using graded sin-taxonomy to guide confession, penance, and community adjudication.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta and Sexual-Ethics (Strī-saṅga-doṣa-nirṇaya)
Primary Rasa: bībhatsa
Secondary Rasa: bhayānaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dharma-assembly scene where a judge/ācārya instructs householders about forbidden sexual relations, with symbolic boundaries around kin, a maiden, an outcaste woman, and the friend/son’s wife—emphasizing prohibition and moral gravity rather than explicit depiction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, dharma-sabhā with an ācārya seated on a wooden pīṭha, palm-leaf manuscript in hand, householders listening; symbolic figures representing svayonī, kanyā, antyajā, and friend/son’s wife shown modestly with veils; warm earthy reds and greens, strong outlines, sacred didactic mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf haloed ācārya as dharma-upadeśaka, ornate arch, attendants holding śāstra-grantha; symbolic icons for prohibited relations placed in separate panels; rich jewel tones, heavy gold work, moral instruction theme.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean linework and soft shading, classroom-like śāstra instruction with labeled symbolic groups (svayonī/kanyā/antyajā/sakhī-putra-strī) on a scroll; restrained palette, emphasis on didactic clarity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly legal consultation in a pavilion, qazi-like dharma-judge with Sanskrit manuscript, figures arranged in discrete groups to indicate categories; fine detailing, textiles, subdued moral seriousness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: retaḥsekaḥ → retaḥ-sekaḥ; svayonyāṣu → sva-yonyāsu; kumārīṣv antyajāsu → kumārīṣu antyajāsu; gurutalpasamaṃ → guru-tulpa-samam.
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa 168 (Prāyaścitta/ācāra sections on mahāpātaka and sexual offences)
FAQs
It classifies certain prohibited sexual relations as doṣa-sāmya—legally/ritually equivalent to the mahāpātaka-like offence termed gurutalpa—guiding prāyaścitta assessment.
Alongside ritual, cosmology, and other sciences, the Agni Purāṇa also preserves Dharmaśāstra-style jurisprudence—defining offences and their relative gravity for social order and expiation.
By equating these acts with gurutalpa, the text signals severe karmic demerit and social-ritual impurity, implying the need for stringent restraint and, where applicable, heavy expiation.