Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 8
Adhyaya 165 — नानाधर्माः
Various Dharmas
ब्रह्मभूतः स एवेह योगी चात्मरतो ऽमलः विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगात् केचिद् योगं वदन्ति वै
brahmabhūtaḥ sa eveha yogī cātmarato 'malaḥ viṣayendriyasaṃyogāt kecid yogaṃ vadanti vai
અહીં તે જ બ્રહ્મભૂત, આત્મામાં રમનાર અને નિર્મળ પુરુષ યોગી છે. છતાં કેટલાક વિષયો સાથે ઇન્દ્રિયોના સંયોગને જ ‘યોગ’ કહે છે.
Lord Agni (teaching to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Yoga-vidya","practical_application":"Discriminate true yoga (Self-abidance/Brahma-bhava) from a merely sensory definition; use this as a diagnostic for one’s practice and teachers.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Yoga: Brahmabhūta-ātmarati vs indriya-viṣaya-saṃyoga","lookup_keywords":["yoga definition","brahmabhūta","ātmarati","indriya-viṣaya-saṃyoga","viveka"],"quick_summary":"The verse contrasts the highest sense of yoga—stainless Self-delight and Brahman-realization—with a lower, mistaken usage that calls sensory contact ‘yoga’. It teaches definitional clarity (viveka) about the term."}
Concept: Yoga is fundamentally Brahman-abidance (brahmabhāva) and Self-delight (ātmarati), not sensory conjunction; correct definition is itself a step toward liberation.
Application: Use as a criterion: if practice increases sensory entanglement, it is not ‘uttama-yoga’; cultivate inner purity and Self-recollection.
Khanda Section: Yoga-vidya (Moksha-dharma / Spiritual disciplines)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene yogin, radiant and stainless, seated in meditation; on one side, symbolic senses reaching toward objects, contrasted with the yogin’s inward absorption in the Self.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, temple-wall palette (ochres, greens, reds), central yogin with halo-like tejas, stylized indriyas as small attendants pulling toward viṣayas, but subdued; calm śānta mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, thick gold relief around the yogin’s aura, lotus seat, minimal background; small vignettes of sense-objects at the margins to show the ‘lower definition’ being rejected.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, fine linework, instructional composition: left panel ‘indriya-viṣaya-saṃyoga’, right panel ‘brahmabhūta yogin’; soft colors, clear labels in Devanagari-style cartouches.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior of an ashram; yogin in quiet corner, while courtiers enjoy sensory pleasures in another corner; visual contrast of inwardness vs outwardness, delicate brushwork."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चात्मरतोऽमलः = च + आत्मरतः + अमलः; केचिद् = के + चित्; विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगात् = विषय + इन्द्रिय + संयोगात् (समास)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 165.10 (uttama-yoga as vṛtti-nirodha and aikya); Agni Purana 165.12 (pratyāhāra: turning senses inward)
FAQs
It gives a technical definition of the yogin as brahmabhūta (Brahman-established), ātmarata (Self-delighting), and amala (stainless), while noting an alternate (and lower) usage where ‘yoga’ is taken as mere sense–object conjunction (viṣaya–indriya-saṃyoga).
The Agni Purana compiles multiple disciplines; here it preserves competing definitional strands of ‘yoga’—a Vedāntic/spiritual characterization of the yogin alongside a more descriptive psychological definition tied to sense-contact—showing its survey-like, multi-school coverage.
It directs the aspirant away from identifying yoga with sensory engagement and toward purification and Self-abidance—implying that liberation-oriented yoga culminates in Brahman-realization and inner stainlessness rather than sense-driven experience.