Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 25
Chapter 381 — यमगीता
Yama-gītā
स तत्पदमवाप्नोति यस्माद्भूयो न जायते विज्ञानसारथिर्यस्तु मनःप्रग्रहवान्नरः
sa tatpadamavāpnoti yasmādbhūyo na jāyate vijñānasārathiryastu manaḥpragrahavānnaraḥ
તે તે પરમ પદને પ્રાપ્ત કરે છે, જ્યાંથી ફરી જન્મ થતો નથી—જેનો સારથી વિવેકજ્ઞાન છે અને જે મનને લગામની જેમ દૃઢપણે કાબૂમાં રાખે છે.
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s mokṣa-oriented discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Yoga","practical_application":"Model liberation as a skill: make vijñāna the guiding faculty and keep manas restrained; use consistent practices (abhyāsa, vairāgya) to prevent sensory drag and stabilize realization.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Liberation Condition: Vijñāna as Charioteer, Mind as Held Reins","lookup_keywords":["vijnana sarathi","manah pragraha","apunarjanma","moksha","yoga"],"quick_summary":"Describes the liberated aspirant as one guided by discriminative knowledge and holding the mind firmly, thereby attaining the supreme state beyond rebirth. Practical takeaway: steady mind-restraint under clear discernment is the operative mechanism of mokṣa."}
Alamkara Type: Rūpaka (continuation of chariot allegory)
Concept: Apunarjanma (non-rebirth) is attained when vijñāna governs and manas is firmly restrained—inner governance yields transcendence of saṃsāra.
Application: Operationalize ‘mind-reins’: set sensory rules (ahara-vihara), maintain meditation and ethical restraints (yama/niyama), and use viveka at decision points to keep the course toward mokṣa.
Khanda Section: Moksha-dharma / Yoga-vidya (Liberation teachings; mind-control and discriminative knowledge)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Utsaha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A chariot moving steadily on a straight luminous road; the charioteer is labeled Vijñāna, reins are tightly held as Manas, horses are calm senses; ahead is a radiant ‘Supreme State’ beyond a boundary marked ‘no rebirth’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: triumphant yet serene chariot scene, controlled horses, charioteer Vijñāna with composed face, reins Manas taut; distant glowing mokṣa-lotus; ornate border, śānta-utsāha blend.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf radiance around the ‘Supreme State’ lotus-throne; chariot with embossed ornaments, calm horses, Vijñāna as regal guide; symbolic ‘apunarjanma’ boundary rendered as a golden threshold.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional clarity—chariot diagram with labels, straight path, calm horses; soft palette, emphasis on disciplined posture and control; minimal distractions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: a disciplined rider/charioteer guiding horses along a mountain pass toward a luminous horizon; fine textiles, detailed landscape; calligraphic labels for Vijñāna and Manas."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्पदम् (तत्+पदम्); पदम्+अवाप्नोति→पदमवाप्नोति; यस्मात्+भूयः→यस्माद्भूयः; सारथिः+यः→सारथिर्यः; यः+तु→यस्तु; वान्+नरः→वान्नरः; मनःप्रग्रहवान् (समास)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 381.22 (buddhi/manas/indriya metaphor); Agni Purana 381.24 (need for disciplined mind); Agni Purana 381.26 (hierarchy of faculties)
FAQs
It teaches Yoga-vidyā in practical terms: make vijñāna (discriminative knowledge) the guiding principle and restrain the mind (manaḥ-pragraha) to reach the non-returning state beyond rebirth.
Alongside rituals, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also systematizes liberation doctrine; this verse encapsulates a core yogic-vedāntic method—discernment plus mind-restraint—as a concise soteriological teaching.
By mastering the mind under the guidance of true discernment, one removes the causes of karma-driven recurrence and attains the state “from which one is not born again” (freedom from punarjanma).