Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 21
Āsana–Prāṇāyāma–Pratyāhāra
Posture, Breath-control, and Withdrawal of the Senses
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं मज्जमानं यथाम्भसि भोगनद्यतिवेगेन ज्ञानवृक्षं समाश्रयेत्
uddharedātmanātmānaṃ majjamānaṃ yathāmbhasi bhoganadyativegena jñānavṛkṣaṃ samāśrayet
ഭോഗനദിയുടെ അതിവേഗ പ്രവാഹത്തിൽ ഒഴുകി വെള്ളത്തിൽ മുങ്ങുന്നവനെപ്പോലെ ആയാൽ, മനുഷ്യൻ സ്വയംകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ സ്വാത്മാവിനെ ഉയർത്തണം; ജ്ഞാനവൃക്ഷത്തെ ആശ്രയിക്കണം।
Lord Agni (traditional narrator of the Agni Purana) instructing sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Apply self-effort (ātma-uddhāra) when overwhelmed by pleasures: deliberately shift reliance from enjoyment to discriminative knowledge through study, reflection, and disciplined living.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Ātma-uddhāra: Saving Oneself from the River of Enjoyment by the Tree of Knowledge","lookup_keywords":["uddharet ātmanā ātmānam","bhoga-nadī","jñāna-vṛkṣa","self-effort","vairāgya"],"quick_summary":"When swept by the strong current of sense-enjoyment, one must rescue oneself through one’s own agency. The practical refuge is jñāna—cultivated as a stable support like a tree on the bank."}
Alamkara Type: Dṛṣṭānta
Concept: Ātma-uddhāra (self-lifting) through jñāna and vairāgya when dragged by bhoga; knowledge as stable support.
Application: When craving surges, pause and ‘stand on the bank’: read/recall a jñāna teaching, practice viveka (what is lasting vs fleeting), and choose a restraint vow for the day.
Khanda Section: Moksha-dharma / Jnana-yoga (Spiritual Instruction on Self-liberation)
Primary Rasa: Śānta
Secondary Rasa: Karुणa
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A person sinking in a river labeled ‘bhoga’ reaches upward; the same person, representing the higher self, pulls them toward the bank where a great ‘jñāna-vṛkṣa’ stands as refuge.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, dramatic river current with swirling patterns, figure sinking, higher-self figure extending hand, large sacred tree labeled jñāna with stylized leaves, serene background, temple-border ornamentation","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, gold-highlighted jñāna tree with embossed leaves, river of bhoga at bottom, two figures (lower self and higher self) in devotional composition, rich jewel tones, calm rescue motif","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic clarity: river current arrows, labels ‘bhoga-nadī’ and ‘jñāna-vṛkṣa’, figures showing self-help, soft shading, instructional elegance","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed riverbank landscape, flowing water with fine ripples, a scholar’s tree with manuscripts at its base, one figure pulling another from water, refined linework and pastel palette"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: uddhared ātmanā ātmānam = uddharet + ātmanā + ātmānam; yathāmbhasi = yathā + ambhasi; bhoganadyativegena resolved as bhoga-nadī-ati-vegena (compound).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 372 (sense-withdrawal context); Agni Purana 373 (dhyāna as repeated Viṣṇu/Brahman contemplation)
FAQs
It imparts jñāna-vidyā as practical self-discipline: one must actively rescue oneself from being carried away by bhoga (sense-enjoyment) by taking steady support in liberating knowledge (viveka/jñāna).
Alongside its ritual, polity, medicine, and arts material, the Agni Purana also preserves concise mokṣa-upadeśa: a yoga-style maxim on self-effort (ātma-uddhāra) and knowledge as refuge, showing its coverage of both worldly and liberating disciplines.
It emphasizes personal responsibility for liberation: when desires drag one toward bondage, turning to jñāna and cultivating inner mastery becomes the purifying means that redirects karma toward freedom rather than further entanglement.