Agni Purāṇa

171 - Description of certain subtle expiations

Pushkara said:

1. Ishall describe certain subtle expiations which are highly purificatory. One's sins would get destroyed by the repetition of the purushasūkta¹ for a month.

1. RV. X. 90. la.

2. By the repetition of the aghamarshaņa² thrice one gets free from all sins. The repetition of the vedic (mantras) such as the (hymns of) vāyu, yama and gāyatri and the observance of the vow destroys all sins.

2. RV. X. 190.

3-7. In all the (expiations called) krucchras (there would be)shaving, bathing, offering of oblations and worship of Hari (Vishņu). After getting up, oneshould stand during the day and sit during the night (when practising the expiations). This is said to be the viräsana. One who does the krucchra in that (posture) gets rid of sins. (Eating) eight morsels (of food) everyday is known as yatichândrāyana. (Eating) four (morsels) in the morning and in the evening is known to be sisuchandrayana. Eating two hundred and forty balls (of food) in any manner in a month is surachândrāyaṇa. Oneshould drink hot water for three days and hot milk for the (next) three days. (Then) drinking hot ghee for three days, oneshould be consuming (only) wind for three days. This is said to be taptakrucchra. It is said to be fita (krucchra) by the (use of) cold (things).

8-10. Krucchrätikrucchra (is that of maintaining) with water for twentyone days. (Drinking) cow's urine, cow dung, milk, curd, clarified butter and water with kusa (for a day) and fasting one night is known to be the expiation santapana. The same if practised every day is known to be mahasantapana. If each one of these is taken for three days, it is known to be atisantapana. The expiation known as parāka would be (the practice of) fasting for twelve days.

11-14. Practising eating (food) once a day for three days and (eating food obtained) unsolicited in the night (is known to be) prājāpatya. A quarter (of the krucchra) is the pädakrucchra. (Maintaining) with fruits for a month (is known to be) phala (krucchra) and with bilva, is said to be fri-krucchra. (Similarly, one may maintain) with lotus secds and myrabolans. (Maintaining) with flowers (is known to be) puspakrucchra. Palrakrucchra (would be) with leaves, toyakrucchra with water, and mülakrucchra with roots. (So also one may maintain) with curd, milk and butter-milk. It would be vāyavyakrucchra if one eats food (every day) for a month that he can hold in the hand. The expiation (known as) agneyakrucchra (is) by (the eating of) sesamum for twelve nights. It destroys one's disease.

15-16. (Eating) a handful of fried grain (every day) for fifteen days would be brahmaküruccha. Oneshould fast on the fourteenth day and then eat the five things got from a cow on the full-moon day and twice-cooked food thereafter. A person who does so twice in a month gets free from all sins.

17. One who desires to be prosperous and wealthy and one who wishes to attain heaven and to have all sins destroyedshould be intent on propitiating god. One who performs the expiations would get all things.

Summary of chapter 171 of the Agni Purāṇa is as follows:

Secret and superior forms of expiation beyond the public penances are described. Agni states that one month's japa of the Pauruṣa-sūkta purifies all accumulated sins, and that recitation of the Aghamarṣaṇa-sūkta three times while submerging in water frees from all pātaka immediately. The chapter then systematically enumerates all the kṛcchra varieties: taptakṛcchra, śīta-kṛcchra, kṛcchrātikṛcchra, sāntapana, mahāsāntapana, atisāntapana, parāka, mahāparāka, prājāpatya, phala-kṛcchra, śrī-kṛcchra, brahma-kūrcca, and the multiple variants of the cāndrāyaṇa (the yati, śiśu, and pipa lī forms). Each kṛcchra is defined by the specific dietary restriction, duration, and sin it expiates.