Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 1
Chapter 378: Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे समाधिर्नाम सप्तसप्तत्यधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः अथाष्टसप्तत्यधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः ब्रह्मज्ञानं अग्निर् उवाच यज्ञैश् च देवानाप्नोति वैराजं तपसा पदं ब्रह्मणः कर्मसन्न्यासाद्वैराग्यात् प्रकृतौ लयं
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe samādhirnāma saptasaptatyadhikatriśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ athāṣṭasaptatyadhikatriśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ brahmajñānaṃ agnir uvāca yajñaiś ca devānāpnoti vairājaṃ tapasā padaṃ brahmaṇaḥ karmasannyāsādvairāgyāt prakṛtau layaṃ
આ રીતે અગ્નિ મહાપુરાણમાં ‘સમાધિ’ નામનો ત્રણસો સત્તોતેરમો અધ્યાય સમાપ્ત થયો. હવે ત્રણસો અઠ્ઠોતેરમો અધ્યાય ‘બ્રહ્મજ્ઞાન’ આરંભે છે. અગ્નિએ કહ્યું—યજ્ઞોથી દેવો તથા વૈરાજ (વિરાટ્) પદ પ્રાપ્ત થાય છે; તપથી બ્રહ્માનું પદ; અને કર્મસન્ન્યાસ તથા વૈરાગ્યથી પ્રકૃતિમાં લય પ્રાપ્ત થાય છે.
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Map spiritual aims to corresponding means: yajña for deva-loka/virāj, tapas for brahma-loka, and karma-sannyāsa with vairāgya for prakṛti-laya—guiding life-stage choices and renunciant orientation.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Hierarchy of attainments: yajña, tapas, and karma-sannyāsa with vairāgya","lookup_keywords":["yajña phala","virāj pada","tapas brahma-pada","karma-sannyāsa","vairāgya prakṛti-laya"],"quick_summary":"Explains graded results of ritual, austerity, and renunciation: rituals yield divine/cosmic stations, austerity yields Brahmā’s station, and renunciation with dispassion leads to dissolution into primordial nature. Useful for discerning the scope and limit of each path."}
Concept: Different sādhanas yield different lokas/avasthās; ultimate inward turning is through karma-sannyāsa supported by vairāgya.
Application: Choose practices aligned with intended goal; if seeking liberation-oriented quietude, reduce fruit-motivated action and cultivate dispassion alongside inquiry.
Khanda Section: Moksha-jnana (Brahma-jñāna, Samādhi, Sannyāsa-Vairāgya)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Viveka (didactic calm)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Three-path tableau: a yajña altar with priests and offerings; an ascetic performing tapas; a renunciant walking away from ritual implements into a vast, subtle cosmic field labeled prakṛti.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural triptych: left yajña scene with fire altar, center tapasvī under a tree, right saffron-clad sannyāsin moving toward an abstract cosmic ocean; bold outlines, temple palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with three panels framed in gold: yajña with Agni flames, tapas with radiant aura, sannyāsa with minimalism and a gold-embossed cosmic backdrop.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional chart: icons for yajña/tapas/sannyāsa with arrows to ‘deva/virāj’, ‘brahma-pada’, ‘prakṛti-laya’; clean lines, soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature showing a courtly yajña, a hermitage tapas scene, and a wandering renunciant; fine architectural detail, landscape depth, subtle symbolism of cosmic ascent."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इत्य् = इति; समाधिर्नाम = समाधिः + नाम; त्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः = त्रिशततमः + अध्यायः; अग्निर् उवाच = अग्निः + उवाच; देवानाप्नोति = देवान् + आप्नोति; कर्मसन्न्यासाद्वैराग्यात् = कर्मसन्न्यासात् + वैराग्यात्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 377 (Samādhi chapter); Agni Purana 378 (Brahma-jñāna chapter context)
FAQs
It classifies spiritual attainments by discipline: yajña leads to deva-attainment and the Virāj plane, tapas leads to Brahmā’s station, and karma-sannyāsa supported by vairāgya leads toward dissolution (laya) in Prakṛti—mapping ritual, ascetic, and renunciant paths.
It functions as a compact doctrinal index: it links ritual technology (yajña), ascetic practice (tapas), and philosophical soteriology (sannyāsa/vairāgya, Prakṛti-laya), showing how the text spans karma-kāṇḍa, yoga/asceticism, and metaphysics in a single progression.
It teaches graded fruits of action: ritual and austerity yield exalted but conditioned states, while renunciation grounded in dispassion points beyond merit-based results toward a deeper ontological resolution (laya), orienting the seeker toward liberation-centered practice.