Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 37
Adhyāya 379 — अद्वैतब्रह्मविज्ञानम्
Advaita-brahma-vijñāna
त्वं किमेतच्छिरः किन्नु शिरस्तव तथोदरं किमु पादादिकं त्वं वै तवैतत् किं महीपते
tvaṃ kimetacchiraḥ kinnu śirastava tathodaraṃ kimu pādādikaṃ tvaṃ vai tavaitat kiṃ mahīpate
किं त्वमेवैतच्छिरः? अथवा शिरस्तव? तथोदरं किं? अथवा पादादिकं त्वमेव? हे महीपते, एतत्किम् ‘त्वम्’ किम् ‘तव’ इति वद।
Agni (as narrator/teacher) addressing the king (mahīpati) within an instructional dialogue
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Atma-vicara: discriminating self from body-parts and possessions to weaken identification and attachment.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Self vs. body: ‘you’ and ‘yours’ discrimination","lookup_keywords":["atma-vicara","deha-abhimana","mama-aham","viveka","sarira-avayava"],"quick_summary":"By questioning whether the head, belly, feet are ‘you’ or merely ‘yours,’ the verse initiates viveka that separates the witnessing self from bodily constituents."}
Alamkara Type: Prashna (rhetorical interrogation)
Concept: Deha-atma-viveka: the self is not identical with body parts; ‘I’ differs from ‘mine’.
Application: Meditative practice: scan body parts and repeatedly ask ‘Am I this, or is this mine?’ to loosen body-identification.
Khanda Section: Philosophical Dialogue / Self-Inquiry (Atma-vicara within Puranic Instruction)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sage questions a king, visually indicating head, torso, and feet, as if guiding a contemplative body-scan inquiry.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, sage with raised hand pointing sequentially to head, belly, feet of a seated king, stylized anatomy cues without realism, calm faces, lotus motifs in background.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style, central king figure with subtle highlighting of head/torso/feet, sage beside with teaching gesture, gold leaf on ornaments, border with repeated ‘kim… kim…’ motif.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional tableau: sage and king in quiet chamber, sage indicating body parts with a thin staff, soft gradients and delicate ornamentation.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate dialogue scene, sage pointing to the king’s head and feet, fine detailing of garments, minimal background with a garden terrace."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: किमेतच्छिरः = किम् + एतत् + शिरः; किन्नु = किम् + नु; शिरस्तव = शिरः + तव; तथोदरम् = तथा + उदरम्; किमु = किम् + उ; तवैतत् = तव + एतत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana moksha/jnana sections teaching viveka and vairagya; Agni Purana Kapila/Sankhya-oriented dialogues (contextual)
FAQs
It imparts ātma-vicāra (self-inquiry): distinguishing the ‘self’ (tvam) from bodily parts and from possessive identification (‘mine’), a practical method for vairāgya (detachment).
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves philosophical instruction: this verse exemplifies its inclusion of Vedānta-like identity analysis (self vs body), expanding the text beyond purely ritual manuals.
By weakening identification with the body and ownership, it supports inner purification and steadiness of mind, which traditional doctrine links with reduced bondage (karma-bandha) and progress toward liberation-oriented conduct.