Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 22
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
नित्यशुद्धबुद्धमुक्तं सत्यमानन्दमद्वयम् ब्रह्माहमस्म्यहं ब्रह्म सविज्ञानं विमुक्त ॐ अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः समाधिर्मोक्षदः परः
nityaśuddhabuddhamuktaṃ satyamānandamadvayam brahmāhamasmyahaṃ brahma savijñānaṃ vimukta oṃ ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotiḥ samādhirmokṣadaḥ paraḥ
नित्यशुद्ध-बुद्ध-मुक्तं सत्यं आनन्दम् अद्वयम्। ब्रह्माहमस्मि, अहं ब्रह्म, सविज्ञानं विमुक्तम्। ॐ अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिः; समाधिः परो मोक्षदः॥
Lord Agni (narrating to Sage Vasiṣṭha, in the typical Agni Purana dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Mantra","practical_application":"Use as jñāna-mantra for nididhyāsana: affirm Brahman’s nitya-śuddha-buddha-mukta nature, stabilize samādhi, and orient practice toward mokṣa.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Mantra","entry_title":"Brahmāham-asmi—Nitya-śuddha-buddha-mukta; Samādhi as mokṣa-prada","lookup_keywords":["nitya-śuddha-buddha-mukta","satyam-ānanda-advaya","brahmāhamasmi","oṃ ahaṃ brahma","samādhi mokṣada"],"quick_summary":"A compact Advaita mantra-string: Brahman is pure consciousness-bliss, non-dual; realizing ‘I am Brahman’ culminates in samādhi that grants liberation. Practically, it functions as a recitative support for absorption and deconditioning of dualistic habits."}
Alamkara Type: Padānupunarnyāsa (reiterative emphasis) and Parisaṅkhyā (exclusive characterization: pure, free, non-dual)
Concept: Brahman is eternally pure-conscious-free, truth-bliss-nondual; samādhi grounded in realized knowledge (sa-vijñāna) is mokṣa-bestowing.
Application: Combine śravaṇa (hearing), manana (reasoned reflection), and nididhyāsana (deep contemplation) using this mantra; treat samādhi as stabilization of knowledge, not as a separate ‘produced’ state.
Khanda Section: Moksha-vidya (Brahma-jñāna / Advaita Vedanta-oriented instruction)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A radiant Oṃ hovering above a meditating yogin; inscriptions of ‘satyam-ānanda-advaya’ and ‘nitya-śuddha-buddha-mukta’ encircle the halo; the scene conveys liberation through samādhi.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, central yogin in padmāsana, large white-gold Oṃ aura, stylized lotus seat, minimal narrative, sacred inscriptions as decorative bands.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold halo around Oṃ and the yogin, rich reds and greens, gem-like highlights, devotional radiance emphasizing ‘parama-jyotis’.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, neat calligraphic labels around the figure, soft gradients for the aura, didactic composition showing mantra → samādhi → mokṣa as three linked panels.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, ascetic in a garden pavilion, delicate luminous aura with fine nastaʿlīq-like calligraphy effect (but Devanagari text), serene palette, emphasis on contemplative realism."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"devotional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ब्रह्माहमस्मि = ब्रह्म + अहम् + अस्मि; अस्म्यहं = अस्मि + अहम्; सविज्ञानं = स + विज्ञानम्; मोक्षदः = मोक्ष + दः (√दा ‘to give’).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 377 (Samādhi chapter conclusion); Agni Purana 378 (Brahma-jñāna chapter)
FAQs
It imparts mokṣa-vidyā through mahāvākya-style contemplation—repeated identity-assertion ‘ahaṃ brahma’ with praṇava (oṃ) and absorption (samādhi) aimed at direct realization (savijñāna) rather than mere recitation.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves concise non-dual soteriology: a practical meditation formula (oṃ + ‘ahaṃ brahma’) framed as a liberation-granting samādhi, showing its coverage of philosophical and yogic disciplines.
The verse presents self-knowledge as purifying and liberating: realizing the self as the ever-pure, self-luminous Brahman is said to culminate in the highest samādhi that destroys bondage and yields mokṣa.