Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 31
अध्याय ३८० — गीतासारः
The Essence of the Gītā
वहिरन्तश् च भूतानामचरञ्चरमेव च सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थञ्चान्तिके ऽपि यत्
vahirantaś ca bhūtānāmacarañcarameva ca sūkṣmatvāttadavijñeyaṃ dūrasthañcāntike 'pi yat
Es ist außerhalb und auch innerhalb aller Wesen — ja, sowohl das Unbewegte als auch das Bewegte; aufgrund seiner äußersten Feinheit ist es der gewöhnlichen Wahrnehmung unerkennbar; und es ist zugleich fern und nah.
Lord Agni (teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional dialogue framework)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Vedanta","practical_application":"Meditative expansion (vyapaka-bhavana): contemplate the Self as immanent and transcendent, beyond spatial distance and sensory grasp.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Brahman as Immanent-Transcendent; Far and Near","lookup_keywords":["bahir-antah","sukshma","avijneya","dura-antika","cara-acara"],"quick_summary":"States Brahman is within and without all beings, encompassing moving and unmoving, unknowable to ordinary perception due to subtlety, yet intimate as the nearest reality."}
Alamkara Type: Virodha; Vyatireka (beyond ordinary knowing)
Concept: Brahman is simultaneously transcendent (beyond grasp) and immanent (within all), not limited by motion/rest or distance.
Application: Shift from object-based knowing to witnessing awareness; use ‘near’ as heart-presence and ‘far’ as beyond conceptual reach in meditation.
Khanda Section: Vedanta / Brahma-jnana (Paramatma-lakshana)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Cosmic pervasion: Brahman shown as a subtle light permeating a panorama of beings—trees (immobile), animals and humans (mobile)—with the same light inside their hearts and also surrounding the cosmos.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, wide frieze of moving and unmoving beings, each with a small heart-lotus glow, a larger encompassing aura outside all, traditional flat perspective, serene greens/ochres, sacred geometry borders.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central all-encompassing golden mandala behind multiple beings, each heart inset with tiny gold flame, heavy gold embossing to emphasize ‘light within and without’, deep red background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore, didactic split-panel: left ‘bahih’ (outer cosmos) right ‘antah’ (heart-lotus), fine labels, soft colors, clean linework, meditative sage pointing to both panels.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, landscape with travelers, animals, trees; translucent luminous wash overlays everything; close-up vignette of a heart with light; delicate detailing and floral margins."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: वहिरन्तश् = बहिः + अन्तः; भूतानामचरञ्चरमेव = भूतानाम् + अचरम् + चरम् + एव; सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं = सूक्ष्मत्वात् + तत् + अविज्ञेयम्; दूरस्थञ्चान्तिकेऽपि = दूरस्थम् + च + अन्तिके + अपि
Related Themes: Agni Purana 380.30; Agni Purana 380.32; Agni Purana 380.33
FAQs
It imparts Brahma-vidyā/Vedānta knowledge: the Supreme Self is all-pervading (within and without), transcends categories like moving/nonmoving, and cannot be grasped by ordinary sense-based cognition due to subtlety.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves Vedāntic metaphysics; this verse functions as a concise doctrinal definition of the Paramātman’s ubiquity and transcendence, showing the text’s breadth across practical and philosophical disciplines.
Contemplating the Self as near yet seemingly far, and as present in all beings, supports detachment, reduces ego-centered action, and directs practice toward liberating knowledge (jñāna) rather than mere external perception—thereby aiding purification and mokṣa-oriented karma.