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Mahāpātaka

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | 600 words | Copyright

Mahāpātaka. Great sin in Hinduism, classified into five: (i) brāhmaṇahatyā, the killing of a brahman—or of an unborn child or of a pregnant woman; (ii) surāpāna, drinking intoxicants (see ALCOHOL); (iii) steyam, theft, but the circumstances are limited; (iv) guruvaṇganāgama, relations with a guru's wife, guru being variously understood; (v) mahāpātakasaṃsārga, associating in any way with one who has committed one of the great sins. Minor sins are known as upapātaka, and are not so formally classified.

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