Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 16
प्रायश्चित्तानि (Expiations) — Association-Impurity, Purification Rites, and Graded Penance
कृच्छ्रातिकृच्छ्रं कुर्वीत विप्रस्योत्पाद्य शोणितं न युज्येतेति ख कृच्छ्रैर् विशुद्ध्यति इति ग , घ , ङ च नरोष्टविड्वराहैश्चेति ङ क्रूङ्कारमिति ख , घ , छ च ओङ्कारमिति ग , ङ च हङ्कारञ्चेति ख चाण्डालादिरविज्ञातो यस्य तिष्ठेत वेश्मनि
kṛcchrātikṛcchraṃ kurvīta viprasyotpādya śoṇitaṃ na yujyeteti kha kṛcchrair viśuddhyati iti ga , gha , ṅa ca naroṣṭaviḍvarāhaiśceti ṅa krūṅkāramiti kha , gha , cha ca oṅkāramiti ga , ṅa ca haṅkārañceti kha cāṇḍālādiravijñāto yasya tiṣṭheta veśmani
Kung may magpadaloy ng dugo ng isang brāhmaṇa, dapat niyang isagawa ang mas mahigpit na penitensiyang «kṛcchrātikṛcchra» (isang higit na mabigat na kṛcchra). (May ilang salin ang nagdaragdag: “hindi ito nararapat/hindi pinahihintulutan kung hindi”; ang iba naman: “nalilinis sa pamamagitan ng mga penitensiyang kṛcchra.”) (May isang salin pang tumutukoy sa karumihang kaugnay ng tao, kamelyo, baboy at baboy‑ramo.) May mga pagbasa ring nagtatakda ng mga pantubos na bigkas gaya ng “krūṅ”, “oṃ”, at “haṃ”. Kung may di‑kilalang itinatakwil sa lipunan (tulad ng caṇḍāla) na tumira sa bahay ng sinuman, dapat magsagawa ng paglilinis/penitensiya.
Lord Agni (Agni Purana’s primary narrator) to the sage Vasiṣṭha (traditional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prayashchitta","practical_application":"Determining expiation and household purification when brahmin-bloodshed occurs or when an unknown outcaste stays in one’s home; includes recitational/utterance-based purificatory adjuncts per recension.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Kṛcchrātikṛcchra for causing a brāhmaṇa’s blood to flow; śuddhi for unknown caṇḍāla lodging","lookup_keywords":["kṛcchrātikṛcchra","brāhmaṇa-śoṇita","caṇḍāla-āvāsa","śuddhi","prāyaścitta-ucchāraṇa"],"quick_summary":"Blood-injury to a brāhmaṇa is expiated by the severe kṛcchrātikṛcchra penance; if an unknown outcaste resides in a house, a purificatory remedy is required, with some recensions adding specific expiatory syllables."}
Concept: Doṣa–śuddhi sambandha: grave transgression requires proportionate expiation; social/ritual impurity is managed through prescribed penance and purification.
Application: Use graded penances (kṛcchra-variants) and household śauca measures to restore ritual eligibility and social order.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta & Śuddhi-vidhi (Expiations and Purificatory Rites)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A householder learns from a dharma-teacher about severe kṛcchra penance after a brahmin’s blood is shed; at the threshold, purification is indicated, with syllabic utterances (krūṅ/oṃ/haṃ) shown as written seed-sounds; an unknown caṇḍāla figure is depicted at the edge of the household space.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, interior of a traditional house with lamp-lit doorway, a learned brāhmaṇa instructing a penitent householder, seed-syllables ‘krūṅ oṃ haṃ’ inscribed in stylized script, restrained earth reds and greens, ritual purity theme, flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central seated guru-brāhmaṇa with ornate halo, penitent with folded hands, doorway threshold emphasized, gold-leaf detailing on ritual vessels and script panel showing ‘oṃ haṃ’, rich maroons and greens, devotional-dharma mood","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional tableau: teacher pointing to a palm-leaf text labeled kṛcchrātikṛcchra, small vignette of threshold purification, clear linework, soft shading, minimal background architecture, legible seed-syllables","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic courtyard scene with precise architecture, a scholar explaining penance, marginal note cartouche with ‘krūṅ / oṃ / haṃ’, an outsider figure at the gate, delicate textiles, naturalistic faces, fine brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"austere","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विप्रस्योत्पाद्य = विप्रस्य + उत्पाद्य; कृच्छ्रैर् विशुद्ध्यति = कृच्छ्रैः + विशुद्ध्यति (रेफ-सन्धि); नरोष्टविड्वराहैः = नर + उष्ट + विड् + वराहैः (द्वन्द्व); हङ्कारञ्च = हङ्कारम् + च; चाण्डालादिः = चाण्डाल + आदिः; वेश्मनि (loc. of वेश्मन्). Editorial markers (ख/ग/घ/ङ/छ) treated as non-lexical and excluded.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 170 (Prāyaścitta & Śuddhi-vidhi context); Agni Purana sections on kṛcchra, cāndrāyaṇa, parāka (adjacent verses)
FAQs
It prescribes prāyaścitta: a severe kṛcchra-type austerity (kṛcchrātikṛcchra) as expiation for causing a brāhmaṇa’s blood to be shed, and indicates household purification concerns when an unknown outcaste resides in one’s home.
It exemplifies the Agni Purana’s dharma-practical sections by cataloging specific sins/impurities and their corresponding remedies (graded penances, purity rules, and even variant mantric utterances), functioning like a ritual-legal reference manual.
Bloodshed—especially involving a brāhmaṇa—is treated as a grave impurity generating heavy demerit; prescribed penance aims to neutralize that karmic burden, restore ritual purity, and re-establish social-religious order within the household and community.