Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 1
Chapter 378: Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
इत्य् आग्नेये महापुराणे समाधिर्नाम सप्तसप्तत्यधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः अथाष्टसप्तत्यधिकत्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः ब्रह्मज्ञानं अग्निर् उवाच यज्ञैश् च देवानाप्नोति वैराजं तपसा पदं ब्रह्मणः कर्मसन्न्यासाद्वैराग्यात् प्रकृतौ लयं
ity āgneye mahāpurāṇe samādhirnāma saptasaptatyadhikatriśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ athāṣṭasaptatyadhikatriśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ brahmajñānaṃ agnir uvāca yajñaiś ca devānāpnoti vairājaṃ tapasā padaṃ brahmaṇaḥ karmasannyāsādvairāgyāt prakṛtau layaṃ
इत्याग्नेये महापुराणे ‘समाधि’नाम सप्तसप्तत्यधिकत्रिशततमोऽध्यायः समाप्तः। अथाष्टसप्तत्यधिकत्रिशततमोऽध्यायः ‘ब्रह्मज्ञानम्’। अग्निरुवाच—यज्ञैश्च देवानाप्नोति वैराजं, तपसा पदं ब्रह्मणः; कर्मसन्न्यासाद्वैराग्यात् प्रकृतौ लयम्॥
Lord Agni
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Map spiritual aims to corresponding means: yajña for deva-loka/virāj, tapas for brahma-loka, and karma-sannyāsa with vairāgya for prakṛti-laya—guiding life-stage choices and renunciant orientation.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Hierarchy of attainments: yajña, tapas, and karma-sannyāsa with vairāgya","lookup_keywords":["yajña phala","virāj pada","tapas brahma-pada","karma-sannyāsa","vairāgya prakṛti-laya"],"quick_summary":"Explains graded results of ritual, austerity, and renunciation: rituals yield divine/cosmic stations, austerity yields Brahmā’s station, and renunciation with dispassion leads to dissolution into primordial nature. Useful for discerning the scope and limit of each path."}
Concept: Different sādhanas yield different lokas/avasthās; ultimate inward turning is through karma-sannyāsa supported by vairāgya.
Application: Choose practices aligned with intended goal; if seeking liberation-oriented quietude, reduce fruit-motivated action and cultivate dispassion alongside inquiry.
Khanda Section: Moksha-jnana (Brahma-jñāna, Samādhi, Sannyāsa-Vairāgya)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Viveka (didactic calm)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Three-path tableau: a yajña altar with priests and offerings; an ascetic performing tapas; a renunciant walking away from ritual implements into a vast, subtle cosmic field labeled prakṛti.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural triptych: left yajña scene with fire altar, center tapasvī under a tree, right saffron-clad sannyāsin moving toward an abstract cosmic ocean; bold outlines, temple palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting with three panels framed in gold: yajña with Agni flames, tapas with radiant aura, sannyāsa with minimalism and a gold-embossed cosmic backdrop.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style instructional chart: icons for yajña/tapas/sannyāsa with arrows to ‘deva/virāj’, ‘brahma-pada’, ‘prakṛti-laya’; clean lines, soft colors.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature showing a courtly yajña, a hermitage tapas scene, and a wandering renunciant; fine architectural detail, landscape depth, subtle symbolism of cosmic ascent."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Kedar","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: इत्य् = इति; समाधिर्नाम = समाधिः + नाम; त्रिशततमो ऽध्यायः = त्रिशततमः + अध्यायः; अग्निर् उवाच = अग्निः + उवाच; देवानाप्नोति = देवान् + आप्नोति; कर्मसन्न्यासाद्वैराग्यात् = कर्मसन्न्यासात् + वैराग्यात्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 377 (Samādhi chapter); Agni Purana 378 (Brahma-jñāna chapter context)
FAQs
It classifies spiritual attainments by discipline: yajña leads to deva-attainment and the Virāj plane, tapas leads to Brahmā’s station, and karma-sannyāsa supported by vairāgya leads toward dissolution (laya) in Prakṛti—mapping ritual, ascetic, and renunciant paths.
It functions as a compact doctrinal index: it links ritual technology (yajña), ascetic practice (tapas), and philosophical soteriology (sannyāsa/vairāgya, Prakṛti-laya), showing how the text spans karma-kāṇḍa, yoga/asceticism, and metaphysics in a single progression.
It teaches graded fruits of action: ritual and austerity yield exalted but conditioned states, while renunciation grounded in dispassion points beyond merit-based results toward a deeper ontological resolution (laya), orienting the seeker toward liberation-centered practice.