Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 15
Chapter 174 — प्रायश्चित्तानि
Expiations
जप्यं स्तुतिश् च प्रणतिः शारीराशेषाघौघनुत् दशस्वर्णानि दानानि धान्यद्वादशमेव च
japyaṃ stutiś ca praṇatiḥ śārīrāśeṣāghaughanut daśasvarṇāni dānāni dhānyadvādaśameva ca
జపం, స్తుతి, ప్రణామం శరీరసంబంధమైన సమస్త పాపసమూహాన్ని తొలగిస్తాయి; అలాగే పది స్వర్ణదానాలు మరియు పన్నెండు (పరిమాణాల) ధాన్యదానమూ.
Lord Agni (teaching to the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Prāyaścitta through bhakti-acts (japa, stuti, praṇāma) and dāna (gold, grain) as prescribed expiatory and merit-generating disciplines.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Prāyaścitta by japa–stuti–praṇati and dāna (gold and grain measures)","lookup_keywords":["japa","stuti","praṇati","daśa suvarṇa dāna","dhānya dvādaśa"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists expiatory means: devotional repetition, hymns, and prostration for cleansing bodily sin, supplemented by specified charitable gifts of gold and grain."}
Concept: Ethical-spiritual purification is achieved through disciplined speech/mind (japa, stuti) and embodied humility (praṇāma), reinforced by social responsibility (dāna).
Application: Adopt a balanced expiation plan: daily japa and stotra, regular praṇāma, and periodic charity—especially food/grain support—according to means.
Khanda Section: Dāna–Japa–Prāyaścitta (Expiation, charity, and devotional disciplines)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee performing three acts: counting japa beads, singing a stuti before a small shrine, and offering full prostration; beside him, a charitable scene of giving gold coins and sacks/bowls of grain to recipients.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sequential vignettes: japa with mālā, stuti with raised hands, praṇāma on temple floor; adjacent dāna scene with gold and grain offered to brāhmaṇas/poor, warm tones and stylized figures.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, shrine-centered devotion with gold-leaf ornamentation, devotee in praṇāma, attendants holding mālā and hymn book, foreground dāna of suvarṇa and dhānya with ornate vessels, rich gilded detailing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, clean instructional depiction of the three devotional acts and two dānas, precise rendering of coins, grain measures, and ritual posture, soft palette and fine outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic courtyard: one figure reciting with beads, another singing, another prostrating; nearby a patron distributing coins and grain to supplicants, detailed textiles and architecture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्तुतिश् च = स्तुतिः + च; अशेषाघौघनुत् = अशेष + अघ + ओघ + नुत्; दशस्वर्णानि = दश + सुवर्णानि; धान्यद्वादशम् = धान्य + द्वादशम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa dāna-dharma passages; Agni Purāṇa japa/stuti phala statements; Agni Purāṇa prāyaścitta materials
FAQs
It prescribes practical prāyaścitta methods—japa (repetitive recitation), stuti (hymnic praise), praṇati (prostration), and specific dānas (ten gold gifts and twelve grain gifts) as means of purification.
Alongside theology, the Agni Purāṇa catalogs actionable dharma practices—ritual disciplines and quantified charitable donations—showing its wide coverage from devotion to social-ethical prescriptions.
It frames devotion (japa–stuti–praṇati) and charity (gold and grain gifts) as powerful reducers of accumulated bodily demerit, emphasizing purification through both inner practice and outward giving.