Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 41
Adhyāya 375 — समाधिः
Samādhi
धूमं निशां कृष्णपक्षं दक्षिणायनमेव च पितृलोकं चन्द्रमसं नभो वायुं जलं महीं
dhūmaṃ niśāṃ kṛṣṇapakṣaṃ dakṣiṇāyanameva ca pitṛlokaṃ candramasaṃ nabho vāyuṃ jalaṃ mahīṃ
(ວິນຍານທີ່ຈາກໄປ ເດີນທາງຕາມ) ຄວັນ, ກາງຄືນ, ຂ້າງເດືອນມືດ, ແລະທາງໃຕ້ຂອງດວງອາທິດ; ແລ້ວໄປສູ່ໂລກບັນພະບຸລຸດ, ໄປສູ່ພູມດວງຈັນ, ໄປສູ່ອາກາດ, ໄປສູ່ລົມ, ໄປສູ່ນ້ໍາ, ແລະໄປສູ່ແຜ່ນດິນ.
Lord Agni (teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s discourse frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Defines the Pitṛyāna (returning path) sequence—used in doctrinal teaching on rebirth mechanics and in ritual-theological understanding of ancestor rites and lunar destiny.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"List","entry_title":"Pitṛyāna (Dark Path) stations: dhūma–rātri–kṛṣṇa-pakṣa–dakṣiṇāyana and elemental return","lookup_keywords":["pitriyana","dhuma marga","krishna paksha","dakshinayana","chandra loka"],"quick_summary":"The verse enumerates the ‘dark path’—smoke, night, dark fortnight, southern course—leading to pitṛloka and lunar sphere, then through space, wind, water, and earth, indicating a return-to-elements trajectory tied to rebirth."}
Concept: Two-path doctrine: Pitṛyāna leads to lunar/ancestral realms and then to elemental return, implying cyclic rebirth rather than final release.
Application: Use as discernment: cultivate knowledge and sādhanā aimed at Devayāna if seeking liberation; understand śrāddha/ancestral rites as operating within the pitṛ-lunar framework of merit and return.
Khanda Section: Moksha-marga & Gati-vidya (Paths after death; Devayana–Pitriyana cosmology)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: Cosmic realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A departing soul moves along a dim route: smoke and night imagery, waning moon of kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, sun’s southern course; then an ancestral realm and lunar sphere, followed by a descent through space, wind, water, and earth.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, nocturnal palette: curling smoke gate, personified Night, waning moon, sun-chariot turning south; pitṛs in a subdued ancestral hall; then elemental bands (ākāśa, vāyu, jala, pṛthvī) as stylized layers; traditional motifs","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, dramatic contrast with gold accents: dark background, silvered moon, gold-lined smoke swirls; pitṛloka as a subdued court; elemental descent shown as concentric rings with embossed highlights","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, clear didactic ladder: labeled steps Dhūma, Niśā, Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa, Dakṣiṇāyana, Pitṛloka, Candraloka, Nabhas, Vāyu, Jala, Mahī; restrained colors, precise linework","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, night scene with fine clouds: smoke rising from a pyre-like haze, crescent waning moon, southern-tilting sun emblem; pitṛ gathering in a palace; then a stylized descent through airy, windy, watery, earthy landscapes"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दक्षिणायनमेव → dakṣiṇāyanam eva; (सूची-रूपेण द्वितीया-एकवचन पदानि).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Moksha-dharma verses on Devayāna vs Pitṛyāna (same khanda); Agni Purana dharma sections on śrāddha/pitṛ-kārya (elsewhere)
FAQs
It codifies the Pitṛyāna sequence—an after-death cosmological route (smoke → night → dark fortnight → Dakṣiṇāyana → Pitṛloka → Moon → elements)—used in Purāṇic and Upaniṣadic-style gati teachings to distinguish karmic destinations.
Beyond rituals and dharma, it preserves technical cosmography and soteriology: a mapped ‘route’ of post-mortem transit tied to time-cycles (pakṣa/ayana) and loka-theory (Pitṛloka/Chandraloka), showing the Purāṇa’s coverage of metaphysics alongside practice.
It signals a return-oriented, merit-based trajectory (Pitṛyāna) associated with ancestral and lunar realms, implying that one’s karma and orientation toward rites/merit (rather than liberating knowledge) shapes the soul’s course through these stations.