Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 18
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः प्राज्ञभावविवर्जितम् अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्मकारादिविवर्जितम्
ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ prājñabhāvavivarjitam ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirmakārādivivarjitam
ನಾನು ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನು—ಪರಮ ಜ್ಯೋತಿ—ಪ್ರಾಜ್ಞಭಾವ (ನಿಬಂಧಿತ ಜ್ಞಾನಸ್ಥಿತಿ)ದಿಂದ ರಹಿತ. ನಾನು ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನು—ಪರಮ ಜ್ಯೋತಿ—‘ಮ’ ಮೊದಲಾದ ವರ್ಣಘಟಕಗಳಿಂದ ಅತೀತ, ಅಕ್ಷರ-ಧ್ವನಿಗೆ ಪಾರ.
Lord Agni (instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha in Brahma-vidyā within the Agni Purāṇa’s encyclopedic discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use as mantra-artha contemplation: transcend identification with prājña (deep-sleep causal cognition) and with nāda/varṇa (letters), moving from sound-support to soundless awareness.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Transcending Prājña and Varṇa (Beyond Letters, Beyond Sound)","lookup_keywords":["prājña","mātrā","makāra","varṇa","nāda"],"quick_summary":"Clarifies that Brahman is beyond the prājña condition and beyond phonemic constituents (letters such as 'ma'). Practical takeaway: mantra is a ladder—rest finally in the silence that the mantra points to."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora; metalinguistic negation (śabda-atiśaya via śabda-apavāda)
Concept: Even the causal-state knower (prājña) and the domain of articulated sound are not the Self; Brahman is beyond cognition-conditions and beyond letters.
Application: In japa, attend to sound (vaikharī) → subtle resonance (madhyamā/paśyantī) → silence; do not reify deep-sleep blankness as Brahman.
Khanda Section: Adhyatma / Brahma-vidya (Non-dual Self-knowledge; mantra-artha and phoneme-transcendence)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A mantra syllable 'MA' and other letters appear as glowing glyphs that dissolve into a silent, boundless light; a yogin listens inwardly to subtle sound fading into stillness.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized Sanskrit letters floating like lamps, dissolving into central white-gold jyotis, yogin with hand to ear (inner listening), ornate temple border, deep greens and reds","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold Sanskrit glyphs (including 'ma') around a radiant central halo, glyphs shown fragmenting into light, rich blue background, gold leaf emphasizing the transition from sound to silence","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, stepwise depiction: letters → subtle nāda waves → silent luminous field, fine line annotations, calm yogin seated, soft pastel palette and precise detailing","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, calligrapher-yogi in a quiet chamber, illuminated letters on a page rising as luminous forms and evaporating into a glowing void, delicate floral margins"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Marwa","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: प्राज्ञभावविवर्जितम् = प्राज्ञभाव + विवर्जितम् (तत्पुरुष). ज्योतिर्मकारादिविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + मकारादि + विवर्जितम् (विसर्ग-लोपः, र्-आदेशः).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 377.17 (suṣupti-negation); Agni Purana 377.19 (pramāṇa-prameya-negation)
FAQs
It imparts Brahma-vidyā: the contemplative identification of the Self with Brahman as the “Supreme Light,” emphasizing transcendence of both causal/conditioned consciousness (prājña-bhāva) and articulated phonemes (letters/mantra-sound).
Alongside rituals, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purāṇa includes Vedāntic self-knowledge. This verse exemplifies its philosophical register—defining ultimate reality as beyond mental states and even beyond linguistic/mantric construction.
Meditating on the Self as Brahman “beyond states and syllables” supports detachment from identification with mind, sleep-state causality, and verbal forms—aiming at purification of cognition and the direct orientation toward mokṣa (liberation).