Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 27

Yati-dharma

The Dharma of the Renunciate Ascetic

Devanagari script

देहेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिप्राणाहङ्कारवर्जितं जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुसुप्त्यादिमुक्तं ब्रह्म तुरोयकं

Transliteration

dehendriyamanobuddhiprāṇāhaṅkāravarjitaṃ jāgratsvapnasusuptyādimuktaṃ brahma turoyakaṃ

Translation

देहेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिप्राणाहङ्कारवर्जितम्। जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यादिमुक्तं ब्रह्म तुरीयकम्॥

Word by Word

• deha-indriya-manas-buddhi-prāṇa-ahaṅkāra-varjitam: devoid of body, senses, mind, intellect, vital-breath, and ego
• deha-indriya-manas-buddhi-prāṇa-ahaṅkāra-varjitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक) + manas (प्रातिपदिक) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ahaṅkāra (प्रातिपदिक) + varjita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समास (X-वर्जित = devoid of X)

• jāgrat-svapna-susupti-ādi-muktam: free from waking, dream, deep sleep, etc.
• jāgrat-svapna-susupti-ādi-muktam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāgrat (प्रातिपदिक) + svapna (प्रातिपदिक) + suṣupti (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + mukta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (ādi = etc.; mukta = freed from)

• brahma: Brahman
• brahma: Karta/Predicative (कर्ता/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• turīyakam: the ‘fourth’ state (turīya)
• turīyakam: Viśeṣaṇa/Predicative (विशेषण/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: turīyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the Agni Purana’s standard dialogue frame)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: dehendriyamanobuddhiprāṇāhaṅkāravarjitaṃ resolved as deha-indriya-manas-buddhi-prāṇa-ahaṅkāra-varjitam; jāgratsvapnasusuptyādimuktaṃ resolved as jāgrat-svapna-suṣupti-ādi-muktam.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Turīya
• Jāgrat
• Svapna
• Suṣupti
• Ahaṅkāra
• Prāṇa

FAQs

What technical or ritual knowledge (Vidya) is imparted in this verse?

It imparts Vedāntic jñāna-vidyā: Brahman is defined apophatically as beyond body–sense–mind–intellect–prāṇa–ego and beyond the three experiential states, pointing to Turīya as the meditative insight for liberation.

How does this verse contribute to the 'Encyclopedic' nature of the Agni Purana?

Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also codifies Upaniṣadic-style metaphysics; this verse exemplifies its coverage of consciousness theory (states of experience) and non-dual ontology (Brahman/Turīya).

What is the spiritual or karmic significance of this specific instruction?

By shifting identification away from body, prāṇa, and ego toward Turīya/Brahman, the verse directs the seeker to detachment and self-knowledge, which is taught as the direct means to mokṣa (release from bondage rooted in misidentification).