Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 11
Chapter 171 — प्रायश्चित्तानि
Prāyaścittāni / Expiations
एकभक्तं त्र्यहाभ्यस्तं क्रमान्नक्तमयाचितं प्राजापत्यमुपोष्यान्ते पादः स्यात् कृच्छ्रपादकः
ekabhaktaṃ tryahābhyastaṃ kramānnaktamayācitaṃ prājāpatyamupoṣyānte pādaḥ syāt kṛcchrapādakaḥ
Kapag isinagawa ang pamamaraang isang-beses na pagkain (ekabhakta) sa loob ng tatlong araw, at saka sunod-sunod: kumain lamang sa gabi, pagkatapos ay mamuhay sa pagkaing hindi hinihingi (ayācita); sa gayong pagtalima sa pag-aayunong Prājāpatya, sa wakas ang isang-kapat (pāda) ay tinatawag na «Kṛcchra-pādaka», ang kwartong yunit ng kṛcchra.
Lord Agni (in discourse to sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Implementing the Prājāpatya fast sequence and computing penance units (pāda) for graded expiation.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Prājāpatya-vrata sequence and Kṛcchra-pādaka (quarter unit)","lookup_keywords":["prājāpatya","ekabhakta","naktabhojana","ayācita","kṛcchra-pādaka"],"quick_summary":"Gives the stepwise Prājāpatya regimen—one meal for three days, then night-only eating, then unsolicited food—and defines its concluding quarter as a kṛcchra-pādaka unit."}
Concept: Atonement is structured, sequential, and quantifiable; purity is pursued through regulated dependence (ayācita) and restraint.
Application: Following a staged vow without improvisation; using the 'pāda' notion to scale penance duration/intensity to circumstance.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra (Prāyaścitta & Vrata-vidhi)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: dharmic
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A four-phase instructional depiction: (1) one-meal practice for three days, (2) night-only meal, (3) living on unsolicited alms/food, (4) marking the concluding quarter-unit (pāda) of kṛcchra.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, segmented narrative panels showing the practitioner receiving food only at night and later accepting unsolicited offerings, with a palm-leaf tally for 'pāda', warm earthy tones, stylized figures.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central penitent with gold detailing, surrounding small vignettes of the three phases (ekabhakta, nakta, ayācita), ornate frame, symbolic quarter-mark motif near the manuscript.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic layout with clear sequential scenes and fine inscriptions, gentle colors, emphasis on the timing (night meal) and the 'pāda' measurement.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, domestic courtyard at dusk for nakta-bhojana, later a passerby offering unsolicited food, a scribe annotating 'Prājāpatya' and 'pādaka', meticulous architectural detail."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: त्र्यहाभ्यस्तं = त्र्यह-अभ्यस्तम्; क्रमान्नक्तमयाचितं = क्रमात् नक्तम् अ-याचितम्; प्राजापत्यमुपोष्यान्ते = प्राजापत्यम् उपोष्य अन्ते; कृच्छ्रपादकः = कृच्छ्र-पादकः
Related Themes: Agni Purana 171 (kṛcchra gradations; pāda reckoning)
FAQs
It defines the step-by-step regimen of the Prājāpatya expiatory fast—three days of one meal (ekabhakta), followed sequentially by night-eating (nakta) and then subsisting on unasked-for food (ayācita)—and states that this completed cycle can be counted as a ‘quarter’ (pāda) unit called kṛcchra-pādaka.
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana catalogs practical dharma-legal procedures, including measurable penance-units and standardized fasting protocols used for expiation (prāyaścitta), reflecting its compendium-style coverage of ritual law.
By prescribing regulated restraint in food and conduct, it frames expiation as a quantifiable discipline that purifies faults and restores ritual and moral purity through a recognized prāyaścitta measure (a pāda of Kṛcchra).