Brahmahatya (), also rendered Brahmanahatya () is the
Sanskrit term for "the killing of a
Brahmin". It is translated as Brahminicide in English. The
Manusmriti regards the murder of a Brahmin to be the greatest of sins, and the highest of the ''mahapatakas'' (mortal sins).
Brahmahatya is also personified as a hideous woman in
Hindu texts
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
such as the
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
. Described to possess red hair and wear blue robes, she is stated to laugh boisterously, chasing the murderers of Brahmins.
Literature
The
Ramayana describes the conflict between
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
and
Vritra. After Indra slays Vritra, he incurs the sin of brahmahatya and is immediately paralysed, falling unconscious. The deities arrange for the purification of Indra's sin with the performance of the
ashvamedha
The Ashvamedha ( sa, अश्वमेध, aśvamedha, translit-std=IAST) was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accomp ...
sacrifice. In the same epic, to expiate
Rama's sin of brahmahatya for the killing of
Ravana,
Sita creates a
lingam out of sand for the worship of
Shiva, which was installed at the
temple of
Rameswaram.
The
Matsya Purana describes the legend of Shiva's form of
Bhikshatana
Bhikshatana ( sa, भिक्षाटन; ; literally, "wandering about for alms, mendicancy") or Bhikshatana-murti () is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as the "Supreme mendicant" or the "Supreme Beggar". Bhikshtana is depicted as a nude f ...
. Having decapitated one of
Brahma's heads, Shiva incurs the sin of brahmahatya, with the skull of the deity stuck to his palm. For the atonement of this sin, the deity assumed the guise of a mendicant and wandered across the land until he reached
Kashi, where he achieved redemption.
Some texts state that bathing at the water bodies of a
tirtha, a Hindu site of pilgrimage, cleanses one of the sin of brahmahatya.
See also
*
Prāyaścitta
*
Vrata
References
{{Hindu-theo-stub
Hindu mythology
Sanskrit words and phrases
Hindu belief and doctrine