Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 18
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः प्राज्ञभावविवर्जितम् अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्मकारादिविवर्जितम्
ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ prājñabhāvavivarjitam ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirmakārādivivarjitam
আমি ব্রহ্ম—পরম জ্যোতি—প্রাজ্ঞ-ভাব (শর্তাধীন জ্ঞানাবস্থা) থেকে মুক্ত। আমি ব্রহ্ম—পরম জ্যোতি—‘ম’ আদি বর্ণ-উপাদান থেকে পর, অক্ষর-ধ্বনির অতীত।
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in Brahma-vidyā within the Agni Purāṇa’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use as mantra-artha contemplation: transcend identification with prājña (deep-sleep causal cognition) and with nāda/varṇa (letters), moving from sound-support to soundless awareness.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Transcending Prājña and Varṇa (Beyond Letters, Beyond Sound)","lookup_keywords":["prājña","mātrā","makāra","varṇa","nāda"],"quick_summary":"Clarifies that Brahman is beyond the prājña condition and beyond phonemic constituents (letters such as 'ma'). Practical takeaway: mantra is a ladder—rest finally in the silence that the mantra points to."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora; metalinguistic negation (śabda-atiśaya via śabda-apavāda)
Concept: Even the causal-state knower (prājña) and the domain of articulated sound are not the Self; Brahman is beyond cognition-conditions and beyond letters.
Application: In japa, attend to sound (vaikharī) → subtle resonance (madhyamā/paśyantī) → silence; do not reify deep-sleep blankness as Brahman.
Khanda Section: Adhyatma / Brahma-vidya (Non-dual Self-knowledge; mantra-artha and phoneme-transcendence)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A mantra syllable 'MA' and other letters appear as glowing glyphs that dissolve into a silent, boundless light; a yogin listens inwardly to subtle sound fading into stillness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized Sanskrit letters floating like lamps, dissolving into central white-gold jyotis, yogin with hand to ear (inner listening), ornate temple border, deep greens and reds","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold Sanskrit glyphs (including 'ma') around a radiant central halo, glyphs shown fragmenting into light, rich blue background, gold leaf emphasizing the transition from sound to silence","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, stepwise depiction: letters → subtle nāda waves → silent luminous field, fine line annotations, calm yogin seated, soft pastel palette and precise detailing","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, calligrapher-yogi in a quiet chamber, illuminated letters on a page rising as luminous forms and evaporating into a glowing void, delicate floral margins"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Marwa","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्राज्ञभावविवर्जितम् = प्राज्ञभाव + विवर्जितम् (तत्पुरुष). ज्योतिर्मकारादिविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + मकारादि + विवर्जितम् (विसर्ग-लोपः, र्-आदेशः).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 377.17 (suṣupti-negation); Agni Purana 377.19 (pramāṇa-prameya-negation)
FAQs
It imparts Brahma-vidyā: the contemplative identification of the Self with Brahman as the “Supreme Light,” emphasizing transcendence of both causal/conditioned consciousness (prājña-bhāva) and articulated phonemes (letters/mantra-sound).
Alongside rituals, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purāṇa includes Vedāntic self-knowledge. This verse exemplifies its philosophical register—defining ultimate reality as beyond mental states and even beyond linguistic/mantric construction.
Meditating on the Self as Brahman “beyond states and syllables” supports detachment from identification with mind, sleep-state causality, and verbal forms—aiming at purification of cognition and the direct orientation toward mokṣa (liberation).