Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 56
अध्याय ३८० — गीतासारः
The Essence of the Gītā
सुखं तद्राजसञ्चाग्रे अन्ते दुःखन्तु तामसं अतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदन्ततं
sukhaṃ tadrājasañcāgre ante duḥkhantu tāmasaṃ ataḥ pravṛttirbhūtānāṃ yena sarvamidantataṃ
Cet élan est rājasika : au début il est agréable, mais à la fin il devient douloureux et tāmasika. Ainsi, l’activité (pravṛtti) des êtres vivants naît par lui—et par lui tout le processus du monde est pénétré et se déploie.
Lord Agni (teaching to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Discriminating rājasa impulses that begin as pleasure but end in suffering, to restrain harmful action and cultivate sattva.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Rājasa Pleasure Turning into Tāmasa Suffering (Pravṛtti Cause)","lookup_keywords":["rājasa-sukha","tāmasa-duḥkha","pravṛtti","triguṇa","saṃsāra"],"quick_summary":"Rājasa impulse tastes pleasant at first but culminates in pain and tamas. This mechanism drives beings’ activity and thereby sustains the world-process."}
Concept: Guṇa-dynamics: rajas initiates engagement via attractive beginnings; its fruition tends toward duḥkha and tamas, perpetuating saṃsāric pravṛtti.
Application: Before acting, examine the ‘beginning-pleasant/end-painful’ signature; choose sattvic alternatives (restraint, clarity, duty) to reduce bondage.
Khanda Section: Sankhya–Yoga / Triguna-viveka (Philosophical Instruction)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A narrative arc: a person drawn by glittering pleasures at the start (rajas) later burdened by darkness and pain (tamas), with the world-wheel of activity turning behind.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sequential scene: left—bright festive allure symbolizing rājasa-sukha; right—shadowed suffering symbolizing tāmasa-duḥkha; central wheel of saṃsāra/pravṛtti with beings moving around it, bold outlines, earthy reds and ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, split composition with gold-highlighted temptations on one side and subdued dark suffering on the other; a gilded circular motif for world-process; devotional-didactic framing.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, diagrammatic progression with arrows: ‘pleasant beginning’ to ‘painful end’; gentle colors, clear facial expressions, emphasis on moral instruction.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly allegory: a youth enticed by luxuries in a pavilion, later shown in a dim chamber with regret; fine architectural detail, subtle symbolism of guṇas."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tad + rājasaṃ + ca → tadrājasañca; duḥkham + tu → duḥkhantu; pravṛttiḥ + bhūtānām → pravṛttirbhūtānām; sarvam + idam → sarvamidam.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 380 (triguṇa and bhāva discussions); Agni Purana 381 (Yama-gītā: mokṣa-oriented discrimination)
FAQs
It imparts triguṇa-vidyā: a technical psychological rule that rājasa impulses feel सुख (pleasant) initially but culminate in दुःख and slide into tāmasa consequences, explaining why beings enter outward activity (pravṛtti).
Beyond rituals and dharma, the Agni Purāṇa also codifies Sāṅkhya–Yoga style analytics of mind and conduct—here, a concise model of how guṇas generate action and worldly expansion, integrating philosophy into its multi-topic compendium.
It warns that chasing rājasa pleasure binds one to painful outcomes and tamasic confusion; discerning this pattern supports vairāgya (dispassion) and more sattvic, purifying choices that reduce karmic entanglement.