Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 25
Chapter 381 — यमगीता
Yama-gītā
स तत्पदमवाप्नोति यस्माद्भूयो न जायते विज्ञानसारथिर्यस्तु मनःप्रग्रहवान्नरः
sa tatpadamavāpnoti yasmādbhūyo na jāyate vijñānasārathiryastu manaḥpragrahavānnaraḥ
അവൻ ആ പരമപദം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; അവിടെ നിന്ന് വീണ്ടും ജനനം ഇല്ല—വിവേകജ്ഞാനം സാരഥിയായും മനസ്സിനെ കയറുപോലെ ദൃഢമായി പിടിച്ചുനിർത്തുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ.
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s mokṣa-oriented discourse)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Yoga","practical_application":"Model liberation as a skill: make vijñāna the guiding faculty and keep manas restrained; use consistent practices (abhyāsa, vairāgya) to prevent sensory drag and stabilize realization.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Liberation Condition: Vijñāna as Charioteer, Mind as Held Reins","lookup_keywords":["vijnana sarathi","manah pragraha","apunarjanma","moksha","yoga"],"quick_summary":"Describes the liberated aspirant as one guided by discriminative knowledge and holding the mind firmly, thereby attaining the supreme state beyond rebirth. Practical takeaway: steady mind-restraint under clear discernment is the operative mechanism of mokṣa."}
Alamkara Type: Rūpaka (continuation of chariot allegory)
Concept: Apunarjanma (non-rebirth) is attained when vijñāna governs and manas is firmly restrained—inner governance yields transcendence of saṃsāra.
Application: Operationalize ‘mind-reins’: set sensory rules (ahara-vihara), maintain meditation and ethical restraints (yama/niyama), and use viveka at decision points to keep the course toward mokṣa.
Khanda Section: Moksha-dharma / Yoga-vidya (Liberation teachings; mind-control and discriminative knowledge)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Utsaha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A chariot moving steadily on a straight luminous road; the charioteer is labeled Vijñāna, reins are tightly held as Manas, horses are calm senses; ahead is a radiant ‘Supreme State’ beyond a boundary marked ‘no rebirth’.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: triumphant yet serene chariot scene, controlled horses, charioteer Vijñāna with composed face, reins Manas taut; distant glowing mokṣa-lotus; ornate border, śānta-utsāha blend.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf radiance around the ‘Supreme State’ lotus-throne; chariot with embossed ornaments, calm horses, Vijñāna as regal guide; symbolic ‘apunarjanma’ boundary rendered as a golden threshold.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional clarity—chariot diagram with labels, straight path, calm horses; soft palette, emphasis on disciplined posture and control; minimal distractions.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: a disciplined rider/charioteer guiding horses along a mountain pass toward a luminous horizon; fine textiles, detailed landscape; calligraphic labels for Vijñāna and Manas."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तत्पदम् (तत्+पदम्); पदम्+अवाप्नोति→पदमवाप्नोति; यस्मात्+भूयः→यस्माद्भूयः; सारथिः+यः→सारथिर्यः; यः+तु→यस्तु; वान्+नरः→वान्नरः; मनःप्रग्रहवान् (समास)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 381.22 (buddhi/manas/indriya metaphor); Agni Purana 381.24 (need for disciplined mind); Agni Purana 381.26 (hierarchy of faculties)
FAQs
It teaches Yoga-vidyā in practical terms: make vijñāna (discriminative knowledge) the guiding principle and restrain the mind (manaḥ-pragraha) to reach the non-returning state beyond rebirth.
Alongside rituals, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also systematizes liberation doctrine; this verse encapsulates a core yogic-vedāntic method—discernment plus mind-restraint—as a concise soteriological teaching.
By mastering the mind under the guidance of true discernment, one removes the causes of karma-driven recurrence and attains the state “from which one is not born again” (freedom from punarjanma).