Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 3
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्जाग्रत्स्थानविवर्जितम् अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्विश्वभावविवर्जितम्
ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirjāgratsthānavivarjitam ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirviśvabhāvavivarjitam
मी ब्रह्म आहे—परम ज्योती—जाग्रत् अवस्थेपासून रहित. मी ब्रह्म आहे—परम ज्योती—विश्वभाव, म्हणजे प्रपंचरूपतेपासून रहित.
Lord Agni (teaching Brahma-vidya to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Turiya-oriented inquiry: negate waking-state identification and the sense of being the manifested universe; supports witness-consciousness practice across states.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Brahman Beyond Waking State and World-Condition (Jāgrat/Viśva-vyāvṛtti)","lookup_keywords":["jāgrat-sthāna","viśva-bhāva","ahaṃ brahma","parama-jyotis","avasthā-traya"],"quick_summary":"Brahman is not confined to the waking state nor to the role of 'the universe'; by negating state-based identity, one abides as the constant light of awareness."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora; conceptual parallelism (two negations paired) for mnemonic teaching.
Concept: The Self as Brahman is not a state (jāgrat) and not the world-form (viśva); it is the unchanging light that illumines all appearances.
Application: In daily activity, note 'waking' as an experience known; shift to the knower. In meditation, let the sense 'I am the world/agent' drop, resting as pure knowing.
Khanda Section: Vedanta / Atma-bodha (Non-dual Brahma-vidya)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A figure sits in meditation while a bustling waking-world scene (market, sun, people) appears like a translucent overlay that fades, revealing a steady inner light.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: layered composition—foreground lively waking world in stylized forms; behind it a seated yogin; the world layer rendered semi-transparent, dissolving into a central white-gold jyotis.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate waking-world border motifs (city, chariots) around a central gold aura; the meditator at center; heavy gold emphasizing the unchanging light beyond viśva-bhāva.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional triptych feel—panel of waking scene, panel of dissolving universe silhouette, central panel of pure light with the refrain implied; soft colors and clear outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed waking-life vignette with fine architecture; a sage in a quiet corner; the scene fades into a blank luminous wash around the sage, suggesting transcendence of jāgrat."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Kalyan","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ज्योतिर्जाग्रत्स्थानविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + जाग्रत्स्थानविवर्जितम् (visarga→र्); ज्योतिर् विश्वभावविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + विश्वभावविवर्जितम् (visarga→र्).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Brahma-jñāna Adhyaya 377 (state/world negations within the refrain)
FAQs
Brahma-vidyā (Vedāntic self-knowledge): the practitioner contemplates identity with Brahman as pure luminous consciousness, transcending the waking-state limitation and phenomenal identification.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves concise Upaniṣadic-style Advaita instruction—showing its scope as a compendium that includes mokṣa-śāstra (liberation teaching).
By dissolving identification with waking experience and universal becoming, the verse directs the mind toward non-dual realization, which is traditionally held to burn ignorance (avidyā) and lead to liberation (mokṣa).