Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 16
Chapter 378: Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अविद्याभवम्भूतिर्वीजमेतद्द्विधा स्थिरम् पञ्चभूतात्मके देहे देही मोहतमाश्रितः
avidyābhavambhūtirvījametaddvidhā sthiram pañcabhūtātmake dehe dehī mohatamāśritaḥ
Ignorance (avidyā) and the arising of worldly becoming (bhava) are the seed—this is firmly established as twofold. In the body constituted of the five elements, the embodied Self (dehī) abides, resorting to the densest darkness of delusion.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Map bondage to its causal seed (avidyā + bhava) and apply deconstruction of delusion in relation to the pañcabhūta body to support vairāgya and moksha-sadhana.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Avidyā and bhava as the twofold seed; dehī in pañcabhūta-deha under moha-tamas","lookup_keywords":["avidya bhava bija","panchabhuta deha","dehi","moha tamas","bondage seed"],"quick_summary":"Bondage is seeded by ignorance and the momentum of becoming; the embodied self, identified with a five-element body, abides in dense delusion. Liberation work targets this seed-cause rather than surface symptoms."}
Concept: Avidyā and bhava function as the stable twofold seed of samsāra; identification within the pañcabhūta body sustains moha-tamas over the dehī.
Application: Contemplate the body as pañcabhūta-composite; trace reactions back to ‘becoming’ impulses and ignorance; cultivate sattva via study, meditation, and ethical restraint to thin tamas.
Khanda Section: Moksha-vidya (Avidyā, Moha, and the embodied self in the pañcabhūta-deha)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A human figure composed of five elemental layers (earth, water, fire, air, ether) with a small inner ‘dehī’ light obscured by a dark cloud labeled moha-tamas; beneath, two seed-symbols labeled avidyā and bhava sprout into a samsaric vine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, layered elemental body with color-coded rings, inner self as tiny lamp, surrounding dark tamas cloud, two seeds at base sprouting into a wheel of births, bold outlines and temple palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold for the inner self-lamp and elemental halos, dark enamel-like moha cloud, decorative border with pañcabhūta symbols, iconic symmetry","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, semi-diagrammatic depiction of pañcabhūta layers, labels in Devanagari, calm sage pointing to the ‘seed’ of avidyā/bhava, soft gradients for tamas","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, allegorical garden: two seeds (avidyā, bhava) planted, vine encircling a figure, translucent elemental textures, fine detailing and subdued tones"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अविद्याभवम्भूतिः = अविद्या-भवम् + भूतिः; वीजमेतत् = बीजम् + एतत्; एतद्द्विधा = एतत् + द्विधा; मोहतमाश्रितः = मोहतम + आश्रितः
Related Themes: Agni Purana 378.15 (adhyasa: atma-buddhi in anatman); Agni Purana 378.17 (explicit ‘I am this body’ delusion)
FAQs
It imparts mokṣa-vidyā: the technical causal analysis that avidyā (ignorance) generates bhava (saṃsāric becoming) as the “seed,” and that the dehī, while in a pañcabhūta-constituted body, is obscured by moha-tamas.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purāṇa also preserves concise metaphysical diagnostics of bondage—here explaining the causal seed of saṃsāra (avidyā → bhava) and the psycho-spiritual condition of embodiment (moha/tamas).
By identifying ignorance and delusion as the root-cause of repeated becoming, the verse directs the seeker toward knowledge and discernment (jñāna-viveka) as the remedy, weakening karmic bondage sustained by moha in embodied life.