Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 44
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
मनुष्याणान्तु हरणे स्त्रीणां क्षेत्रगृहस्य च वापीकूपतडागानां शुद्धिश्चान्द्रायणं स्मृतं
manuṣyāṇāntu haraṇe strīṇāṃ kṣetragṛhasya ca vāpīkūpataḍāgānāṃ śuddhiścāndrāyaṇaṃ smṛtaṃ
Para sa pagnanakaw o pagdukot ng tao, ng babae, ng bukirin o bahay, at gayundin ng mga balon, stepwell, at mga lawa/tangke—ang itinakdang paglilinis ay sinasabing ang penitensiyang Cāndrāyaṇa.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as the Agni Purāṇa’s primary narration frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Prescribing Cāndrāyaṇa penance for severe theft/abduction and property usurpation, including water-reservoir assets.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Cāndrāyaṇa prāyaścitta for abduction and major property theft","lookup_keywords":["cāndrāyaṇa","manuṣya-haraṇa","strī-haraṇa","kṣetra-gṛha","vāpī-kūpa-taḍāga"],"quick_summary":"For abduction of persons/women and theft of land, house, and water-works (wells, stepwells, tanks), purification is prescribed through the lunar-regulated Cāndrāyaṇa vow."}
Concept: Greater social harm (abduction, seizure of land/water infrastructure) demands a more rigorous, time-structured vow (Cāndrāyaṇa).
Application: Use lunar-cycle discipline to cultivate sustained restraint and acknowledge the communal impact of the offense.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Rites)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A penitent observes Cāndrāyaṇa with moon phases depicted overhead, while scenes of protected assets—field, house, well, stepwell, tank—appear as contextual motifs.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, crescent-to-full moon arc above, penitent performing vow, stylized vāpī and taḍāga with lotus motifs, solemn dharma tone.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, moon-phase halo motif, penitent near a small shrine, gold accents on lunar disc and water-tank ornamentation, emphasis on vow discipline.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional depiction of Cāndrāyaṇa: moon-phase sequence and regulated intake, with icons for kṣetra/gṛha/kūpa/taḍāga, clean didactic layout.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, landscape with field and house, detailed stepwell architecture, penitent in foreground under a night sky with moon phases, refined architectural rendering."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn","suggested_raga":"Malkauns","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: मनुष्याणान्तु = मनुष्याणाम् तु; क्षेत्रगृहस्य = क्षेत्र-गृहस्य; वापीकूपतडागानां = वापी-कूप-तडागानाम्; शुद्धिश्चान्द्रायणं = शुद्धिः च आन्द्रायणम्; स्मृतं = स्मृतम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (Cāndrāyaṇa and other prāyaścittas)
FAQs
It prescribes a specific expiatory discipline—Cāndrāyaṇa-vrata—as the ritual purification for grave acts of theft/abduction, including misappropriating people, women, land/house, and public water resources (wells, stepwells, tanks).
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purāṇa functions as a compendium of applied Dharmaśāstra: it catalogs offenses affecting social order and public welfare (especially water infrastructure) and pairs them with standardized penances, showing its practical legal-ritual scope.
The verse frames these acts as heavy demerit-producing harms to persons and communal resources; undertaking Cāndrāyaṇa is presented as the recognized means to restore purity, reduce karmic burden, and re-align the offender with dharma through disciplined self-restraint.