Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 39
Āgneya-Purāṇa-māhātmya
The Greatness and Self-Testimony of the Agni Purāṇa
व्यास उवाच वसिष्ठेन पुरा गीतं सूतैतत्ते मयोदितं पराविद्यापराविद्यास्वरूपं परमं पदम्
vyāsa uvāca vasiṣṭhena purā gītaṃ sūtaitatte mayoditaṃ parāvidyāparāvidyāsvarūpaṃ paramaṃ padam
വ്യാസൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ സൂതാ! വസിഷ്ഠൻ പണ്ടുകാലത്ത് ഗാനം ചെയ്തതുതന്നെ ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് പറഞ്ഞു—പരാവിദ്യയും അപരാവിദ്യയും എന്നവയുടെ സ്വരൂപവും പരമപദവും (പരമലക്ഷ്യവും).
Vyāsa
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Discriminate para-vidya (liberating knowledge) from apara-vidya (auxiliary/ritual/empirical learning) and orient study toward the supreme goal while valuing supportive disciplines.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Para-vidya and Apara-vidya: nature and supreme state","lookup_keywords":["para-vidya","apara-vidya","parama-pada","vidya-viveka","vyasa-suta"],"quick_summary":"The verse frames the teaching as an exposition of higher and lower knowledge and the supreme state, guiding the reader to prioritize liberating insight while integrating subsidiary learning."}
Concept: Vidya-viveka: distinguishing liberating knowledge from supportive knowledge; orientation to the supreme state as telos.
Application: Use a two-tier curriculum: study apara disciplines (ritual, grammar, arts, sciences) as supports, but regularly return to para inquiry (self/absolute) through reflection and meditation.
Khanda Section: Jnana-yoga / Vidya-viveka (Para-vidya and Apara-vidya)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: jnana
Type: Metaphysical state
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vyasa instructs Suta, with Vasistha’s earlier teaching implied; two scrolls labeled para-vidya and apara-vidya; a luminous summit or lotus symbolizes parama pada.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, Vyasa and Suta in dialogue, two palm-leaf bundles marked higher/lower knowledge, radiant lotus-flame above as parama pada, restrained sacred palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, Vyasa with gold halo teaching Suta, two manuscripts on either side, central golden lotus representing supreme state, ornate frame and rich colors.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic diagram-like scene: teacher and student, bifurcated path labeled para/apara leading to a luminous peak, fine lines and soft washes.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholarly conversation in a library pavilion, two labeled books, allegorical ascent to a glowing orb in the sky band, intricate border motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Shankarabharanam","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: व्यास उवाच→व्यासः उवाच; सूतैतत्ते→सूत एतत् ते; मयोदितं→मया उदितम्; पराविद्यापराविद्यास्वरूपं→परा-विद्या अपरा-विद्या-स्वरूपम्
Related Themes: Agni Purana 1 (frame: Agni–Vasistha–Vyasa–Suta transmission); Agni Purana 382 (closing philosophical summary)
FAQs
It classifies knowledge into parāvidyā (liberating knowledge leading to the supreme goal) and aparāvidyā (subsidiary or worldly disciplines), framing the chapter’s teaching as a structured taxonomy of vidyās.
By explicitly distinguishing higher (spiritual) knowledge from lower (auxiliary) knowledge, it provides an organizing principle for the Purana’s wide-ranging subjects—placing diverse sciences and practices under a coherent hierarchy culminating in mokṣa.
It directs the reader to prioritize parāvidyā—knowledge that culminates in the supreme state—thereby orienting learning and practice toward liberation rather than merely worldly attainment.