Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 38
Srāvādya-śauca
Impurity due to bodily discharge and allied causes
असाध्यव्याधियुक्तस्य स्वाध्याये चाक्षमस्य च प्रायश्चित्तमनुज्ञातमग्नितोयप्रवेशनं
asādhyavyādhiyuktasya svādhyāye cākṣamasya ca prāyaścittamanujñātamagnitoyapraveśanaṃ
对于罹患不治之疾者，以及无力继续进行吠陀自修（svādhyāya）者，所许可的赎罪法（prāyaścitta）是投入火中或入于水中。
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s discourse frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Prayashchitta","practical_application":"Determining permitted expiations for persons incapacitated by terminal illness or inability to continue obligatory Vedic study, within a dharma-legal framework.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Agni-toya-praveśa as permitted prāyaścitta for the incapacitated","lookup_keywords":["prāyaścitta","agni-praveśa","toya-praveśa","asādhya-vyādhi","svādhyāya-akṣamatā"],"quick_summary":"For a person with an incurable disease or one unable to maintain obligatory svādhyāya, the text notes a permitted expiation described as entering fire or water—an extreme, death-linked expiation framed as dharma-authorization for incapacity cases."}
Concept: Dharma accommodates incapacity (aśakti) by prescribing exceptional prāyaścitta pathways.
Application: Use as a dharma-criterion: when obligatory practice (svādhyāya) becomes impossible due to disease, consult exceptional rules rather than applying ordinary penances mechanically.
Khanda Section: Prayashchitta & Dharmashastra (Expiations and Religious Law)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A severely ill person, unable to continue Vedic recitation, stands at a liminal threshold with symbolic fire and water representing extreme expiation options; attendants and a dharma-judge/priest witness the decision.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, ochre-red background, stylized priest with palm-leaf manuscript, emaciated sick person near a sacred fire altar and a riverbank, minimal landscape, strong outlines, traditional ornaments, solemn mood","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central figure of a dharma-priest holding manuscript, gold-leaf highlights on agni-kunda flames and river ripples, the sick person in humble posture, rich textiles, iconic symmetry, devotional-legal ambience","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting style, fine linework, instructional composition showing agni-kunda on one side and water-entry at a ghat on the other, labels implied by gestures, muted palette, calm didactic tone","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly setting with a qazi-like dharma arbiter and Brahmin priest, detailed river ghat and fire altar, delicate faces, architectural framing, narrative of grave expiation choice"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: cākṣamasya = ca + akṣamasya; prāyaścittamanujñātam = prāyaścittam + anujñātam; agnitoyapraveśanaṃ = agni + toya + praveśanam; asādhyavyādhiyuktasya treated as tatpuruṣa chain qualifying genitive singular.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 158 (Prāyaścitta/ātmaghāta/antyeṣṭi-adhikāra context)
FAQs
It states a Dharmashastra-type rule of prāyaścitta: for the incurably ill or those unable to maintain svādhyāya, a permitted expiation is agni-praveśa (entering fire) or toya-praveśa (entering water), i.e., a final purificatory act.
Alongside theology and worship, the Agni Purāṇa catalogs practical norms of religious law—here, expiatory jurisprudence for exceptional life conditions (incurable illness, inability to perform obligatory study), showing its wide Dharmashastra coverage.
It frames a last-resort purification: when ordinary duties (like svādhyāya) cannot be sustained, a sanctioned terminal act is presented as a means to resolve karmic burden through ritualized self-surrender.