Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 16
Chapter 378: Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अविद्याभवम्भूतिर्वीजमेतद्द्विधा स्थिरम् पञ्चभूतात्मके देहे देही मोहतमाश्रितः
avidyābhavambhūtirvījametaddvidhā sthiram pañcabhūtātmake dehe dehī mohatamāśritaḥ
अविद्या च भवसम्भूतिः च बीजम्—एतद् द्विधा स्थिरम्। पञ्चभूतात्मके देहे देही मोहतमः आश्रितः तिष्ठति।
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Map bondage to its causal seed (avidyā + bhava) and apply deconstruction of delusion in relation to the pañcabhūta body to support vairāgya and moksha-sadhana.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Avidyā and bhava as the twofold seed; dehī in pañcabhūta-deha under moha-tamas","lookup_keywords":["avidya bhava bija","panchabhuta deha","dehi","moha tamas","bondage seed"],"quick_summary":"Bondage is seeded by ignorance and the momentum of becoming; the embodied self, identified with a five-element body, abides in dense delusion. Liberation work targets this seed-cause rather than surface symptoms."}
Concept: Avidyā and bhava function as the stable twofold seed of samsāra; identification within the pañcabhūta body sustains moha-tamas over the dehī.
Application: Contemplate the body as pañcabhūta-composite; trace reactions back to ‘becoming’ impulses and ignorance; cultivate sattva via study, meditation, and ethical restraint to thin tamas.
Khanda Section: Moksha-vidya (Avidyā, Moha, and the embodied self in the pañcabhūta-deha)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A human figure composed of five elemental layers (earth, water, fire, air, ether) with a small inner ‘dehī’ light obscured by a dark cloud labeled moha-tamas; beneath, two seed-symbols labeled avidyā and bhava sprout into a samsaric vine.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, layered elemental body with color-coded rings, inner self as tiny lamp, surrounding dark tamas cloud, two seeds at base sprouting into a wheel of births, bold outlines and temple palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold for the inner self-lamp and elemental halos, dark enamel-like moha cloud, decorative border with pañcabhūta symbols, iconic symmetry","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, semi-diagrammatic depiction of pañcabhūta layers, labels in Devanagari, calm sage pointing to the ‘seed’ of avidyā/bhava, soft gradients for tamas","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, allegorical garden: two seeds (avidyā, bhava) planted, vine encircling a figure, translucent elemental textures, fine detailing and subdued tones"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अविद्याभवम्भूतिः = अविद्या-भवम् + भूतिः; वीजमेतत् = बीजम् + एतत्; एतद्द्विधा = एतत् + द्विधा; मोहतमाश्रितः = मोहतम + आश्रितः
Related Themes: Agni Purana 378.15 (adhyasa: atma-buddhi in anatman); Agni Purana 378.17 (explicit ‘I am this body’ delusion)
FAQs
It imparts mokṣa-vidyā: the technical causal analysis that avidyā (ignorance) generates bhava (saṃsāric becoming) as the “seed,” and that the dehī, while in a pañcabhūta-constituted body, is obscured by moha-tamas.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purāṇa also preserves concise metaphysical diagnostics of bondage—here explaining the causal seed of saṃsāra (avidyā → bhava) and the psycho-spiritual condition of embodiment (moha/tamas).
By identifying ignorance and delusion as the root-cause of repeated becoming, the verse directs the seeker toward knowledge and discernment (jñāna-viveka) as the remedy, weakening karmic bondage sustained by moha in embodied life.