Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 11
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः शोकमोहविवर्जितं अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः क्षुत्पिपासाविवर्जितं
ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ śokamohavivarjitaṃ ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ kṣutpipāsāvivarjitaṃ
Я — Брахман, высший Свет, свободный от скорби и заблуждения. Я — Брахман, высший Свет, свободный от голода и жажды.
Lord Agni (as narrator of Brahma-vidya) to Sage Vasiṣṭha (traditional Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use as nididhyāsana to transcend śoka-moha and bodily drives (hunger/thirst) by recognizing the Self as self-luminous fullness (pūrṇatā).","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Mantra","entry_title":"Ahaṃ Brahma—Paramajyotis (Aśoka-Amūḍha, Akṣut-Pipāsa)","lookup_keywords":["śoka-moha","kṣut-pipāsā","ahaṃ brahma","parama-jyotis","vairāgya"],"quick_summary":"Affirms Brahman-Self as free from grief, delusion, hunger, and thirst—training the mind to disidentify from emotional and physiological compulsions."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora (punarukti)
Concept: The Self as Brahman is untouched by mental afflictions (śoka, moha) and bodily urgencies (kṣut, pipāsā); these belong to upādhi (conditioning).
Application: Apply during emotional turbulence or fasting/discipline: observe grief/hunger as objects in awareness; reaffirm the witnessing light as oneself.
Khanda Section: Moksha-dharma / Brahma-vidya (Non-dual Self-knowledge; contemplative recitation)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A meditating ascetic surrounded by faint, dissolving silhouettes of weeping figures (śoka) and swirling mist (moha); nearby, a bowl of food and water jar appear but fade into the radiance of the inner light.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, stylized sorrowful faces and smoky delusion motifs at edges, central yogin with calm eyes, golden aura consuming the motifs, decorative borders, temple palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, gold halo dominates; small embossed motifs of tears and a mirage-like swirl; food and water rendered as minor elements subdued by the gold radiance.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, gentle gradients; didactic layout showing ‘śoka’, ‘moha’, ‘kṣut’, ‘pipāsā’ as labeled clouds outside the aura; refined facial expression of serenity.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, realistic still-life of bread and water in foreground, a sage unmoved; translucent figures of grief behind; luminous wash indicating parama-jyotis."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विशेष सन्धि-भङ्गः न आवश्यकः; ‘क्षुत्पिपासा’ = क्षुत् + पिपासा (व्यञ्जनसन्धिः)।
Related Themes: Agni Purana 377.10-14 (series of ‘ahaṃ brahma parama-jyotis’ negations)
FAQs
It imparts Brahma-vidya as a contemplative mahāvākya-style affirmation: meditative self-identification with Brahman as the self-luminous Supreme Light, used for inner recitation (nididhyāsana) to dissolve sorrow, delusion, and bodily identification.
Alongside the Agni Purana’s practical domains (ritual manuals, polity, temple topics, and other sciences), this verse represents its moksha-dharma layer—compact Vedantic instruction—showing that the text also preserves liberation-oriented philosophy and meditation methods.
By repeatedly affirming identity with Brahman, the practitioner weakens karmically reinforced misidentification with mind and body; the stated freedom from grief, delusion, hunger, and thirst indicates realization of the Self as untouched by mental afflictions and physical conditions, culminating in liberation-oriented purity (moksha-sādhana).