Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 30
Chapter 370: नरकनिरूपणम्
Naraka-nirūpaṇa) — Description of Hell (with the physiology of dying and the subtle transition
कर्मक्षयात्प्रजायन्ते महापातकिनस्त्विह मृगश्वशूकरोष्ट्राणां ब्रह्महा योनिमृच्छति
karmakṣayātprajāyante mahāpātakinastviha mṛgaśvaśūkaroṣṭrāṇāṃ brahmahā yonimṛcchati
Khi ác nghiệp chín muồi và được tiêu trừ, những kẻ phạm đại tội lại sinh trở lại nơi đời này. Kẻ sát hại một bà-la-môn sẽ thọ sinh vào các loài: nai, ngựa, lợn rừng và lạc đà.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana frame: Agni instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Ethical restraint through understanding karmic retribution; used in teaching prāyaścitta and social dharma by linking mahāpātaka to specific rebirth outcomes.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Karmavipāka of Brahmahatyā: Animal wombs","lookup_keywords":["mahāpātaka","brahmahatyā","karmakṣaya","punarjanma","yoni"],"quick_summary":"The verse lists specific animal rebirths as the post-mortem consequence of brahmahatyā when karmic residue fructifies, reinforcing avoidance of great sins and motivating expiation."}
Concept: Karma-vipāka: specific sinful acts condition future embodiment (yoni) until karmic exhaustion (karmakṣaya).
Application: Use as a contemplative check on harmful impulses; supports confession/expiation and non-violence toward brāhmaṇas and all beings.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta and Karma-vipāka (Sin, expiation, and karmic consequences)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A didactic karmic tableau: a human sinner’s subtle body moving toward successive animal wombs—deer, horse, boar, camel—under the gaze of Dharma/Yama as karmic law.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, flat luminous colors, Yama/Dharma presiding with palm-leaf ledger, a soul-stream shown entering deer, horse, boar, camel womb-symbols, temple-wall narrative composition, traditional ornamentation, minimal perspective.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central seated Dharma/Yama with gold foil halo and embossed ornaments, four surrounding vignettes of deer/horse/boar/camel rebirth, rich reds and greens, decorative borders, icon-like symmetry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework and soft shading, instructional panel with labeled animal forms (deer, horse, boar, camel) and a human figure indicating karmic transition, delicate gesso highlights, calm didactic tone.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed naturalistic animals in separate cartouches, a scribe-like Yama recording deeds, subtle landscape, fine brushwork, restrained palette, moral allegory scene."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: कर्मक्षयात् = कर्मक्षयात्; महापातकिनस् + तु + इह → महापातकिनस्त्विह; मृगश्वशूकरोष्ट्राणाम् = मृग-श्व-शूकर-उष्ट्राणाम् (द्वन्द्व); योनिम् + ऋच्छति → योनिमृच्छति
Related Themes: Agni Purana 370 (mahāpātaka, naraka-gati, prāyaścitta context)
FAQs
It conveys karma-vipāka doctrine used in Dharma/Prāyaścitta contexts: specific sinful acts (mahāpātakas) are mapped to concrete rebirth outcomes, guiding ethical restraint and motivating expiatory practice.
Alongside ritual and theology, the Agni Purāṇa also catalogues normative jurisprudence-like material—classifying major sins and their results—functioning as a compact reference on dharma, social ethics, and karmic retribution.
It warns that brahmahatyā is a grave transgression whose karmic residue can force lower births; the implied takeaway is to avoid such harm and to seek purification (prāyaścitta) to prevent degraded rebirth.