Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 2
Chapter 373 — ध्यानम्
Dhyāna / Meditation
आत्मनः समनस्कस्य मुक्ताशेषोपधस्य च ब्रह्मचिन्तासमा शक्तिर्ध्यानं नाम तदुच्यते
ātmanaḥ samanaskasya muktāśeṣopadhasya ca brahmacintāsamā śaktirdhyānaṃ nāma taducyate
जिस आत्मा का मन सम्यक् एकाग्र हो और जिसके समस्त उपाधि-बंधन छूट गए हों, उसकी ब्रह्म-चिन्तन के समान स्थिर शक्ति को ध्यान कहा जाता है।
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Cultivate meditation as the Self’s steady power when the mind is integrated and upādhis (limiting adjuncts) are relaxed; shift from deity-form contemplation toward Brahman-fixity for deeper absorption.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Dhyāna as Ātma-śakti aligned with Brahma-cintā, free of Upādhis","lookup_keywords":["dhyāna","upādhi","samanaska","brahma-cintā","ātma-śakti"],"quick_summary":"Meditation is the Self’s capacity manifest when mind is harmonized and adjuncts are dropped. Practically it is steadiness equal to Brahman-contemplation—less personal imagery, more non-dual fixation."}
Concept: Upādhi-śūnyatā and samanaska-sthiti enable Brahman-contemplation; dhyāna is the Self’s stabilizing power rather than mere mental activity.
Application: Reduce identification with body/mood/roles (upādhis) through neti-neti style reflection; then rest attention in ‘I-am’ awareness or Brahman-lakṣaṇa (sat-cit) without strain.
Khanda Section: Yoga-vidya (Dhyana–Samadhi–Moksha teachings)
Primary Rasa: Śānta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A meditator sits in profound stillness; layers representing upādhis (body, name, roles) fall away like translucent veils, revealing a luminous inner Self merging into a formless Brahman radiance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, yogi with concentric aura layers peeling away, inner golden light expanding into abstract Brahman glow, minimal narrative, strong sacred geometry, calm palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold radiance representing Brahman, meditator centered with veils of identity rendered as thin patterned sheets falling aside, rich ornamentation yet serene emptiness","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, stepwise visual: labeled upādhis dissolving, mind becoming ‘samanaska’, final panel of Brahman-contemplation as pure light, precise lines and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, quiet interior with meditator, delicate translucent veils drifting away, central luminous blankness (negative space) indicating Brahman, refined shading and restraint"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: muktāśeṣopadhasya = mukta-aśeṣa-upadhasya; śaktirdhyānaṃ = śaktiḥ dhyānam; taducyate = tat ucyate.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 373.1 (dhyāna definition via Viṣṇu-cintā); Agni Purana 373.3 (uniform cognition without interruptions)
FAQs
It gives a technical definition of dhyāna: the Self’s focused capacity that arises when the mind is unified and freed from upādhis, becoming steady in Brahman-contemplation.
Alongside ritual and worldly sciences, the Agni Purana also systematizes Yoga/Vedānta terminology—here defining dhyāna with precise markers (mind-collection, upādhi-release, Brahman-cintā).
By identifying meditation as upādhi-free Brahman-contemplation, it points to dhyāna as a direct means of inner purification and liberation-oriented realization of the Self.