Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 29
Adhyāya 379 — अद्वैतब्रह्मविज्ञानम्
Advaita-brahma-vijñāna
पुमान् स्त्री गौरयं वाजी कुञ्चरो विहगस्तरुः देहेषु लोकसंज्ञेयं विज्ञेया कर्महेतुषु
pumān strī gaurayaṃ vājī kuñcaro vihagastaruḥ deheṣu lokasaṃjñeyaṃ vijñeyā karmahetuṣu
‘പുരുഷൻ’, ‘സ്ത്രീ’, ‘പശു’, ‘കുതിര’, ‘ആന’, ‘പക്ഷി’, ‘വൃക്ഷം’—ഇവ ദേഹധാരികളിൽ ലോകപ്രയോഗത്തിലുള്ള സംജ്ഞകൾ മാത്രം; അവയുടെ പ്രത്യേകാവസ്ഥ കർമ്മകാരണമൂലമാണെന്ന് അറിയണം.
Lord Agni (teaching to Sage Vasiṣṭha in the standard Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vyakarana","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Separating linguistic convention (loka-saṃjñā) from metaphysical causation (karma) to avoid category errors in law, ethics, and debate.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Loka-saṃjñā and Karma-hetu in Embodied Categories","lookup_keywords":["loka-saṃjñā","deha","karma-hetu","jāti","nāma-rūpa"],"quick_summary":"Common nouns like ‘man/woman/cow/horse’ are conventional labels applied to bodies; the specific embodiment is explained through karmic causation. Don’t confuse name-based grouping with ultimate causality."}
Concept: Nāma (name) is conventional, while janma-bheda (birth-difference) is traced to karma; the self is distinct from labels.
Application: Cultivate non-attachment to social labels; in judgment, distinguish factual embodiment from nominal categories.
Khanda Section: Sahitya-shastra / Vyakarana (technical semantics: conventional vs. body-based designation)
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teaching scene where a sage lists beings—man, woman, cow, horse, elephant, bird, tree—shown in a row as ‘labels’, while a subtle aura or thread indicates karma as the hidden cause behind their embodiments.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sage instructing, stylized procession of beings (human, cow, horse, elephant, bird, tree), symbolic karmic thread motif, temple-school ambience, saturated colors.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold halo around the teacher, iconic simplified figures of the listed beings, decorative karmic wheel motif, frontal didactic layout.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean instructional grouping of the beings with the sage pointing, gentle shading, emphasis on classification and calm pedagogy.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, naturalistic animals and tree, scholar with manuscript, subtle visual metaphor (thread/scroll) linking beings to karma, garden setting."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गौरयं = गौः + अयम्; विहगस्तरुः = विहगः + तरुः; लोकसंज्ञेयं = लोक-संज्ञा + इयम्; कर्महेतुषु = कर्म-हेतुषु
Related Themes: Agni Purana 379 (saṃjñā and deha discussion); Agni Purana philosophical passages on karma and rebirth
FAQs
It teaches semantic discrimination: terms like ‘man’, ‘cow’, or ‘tree’ are loka-saṃjñā (conventional labels) applied to bodies, while the determining cause of such embodiment is karma.
Beyond rituals, the Agni Purana also preserves technical reflection on language and meaning—how categories are named in common usage and how metaphysical causality (karma) explains embodied diversity.
It redirects attention from mere labels to causality: one’s present form is not ultimate identity but a karmically conditioned embodiment, encouraging ethical action to shape future outcomes.