Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 2
Chapter 373 — ध्यानम्
Dhyāna / Meditation
आत्मनः समनस्कस्य मुक्ताशेषोपधस्य च ब्रह्मचिन्तासमा शक्तिर्ध्यानं नाम तदुच्यते
ātmanaḥ samanaskasya muktāśeṣopadhasya ca brahmacintāsamā śaktirdhyānaṃ nāma taducyate
మనస్సు సమన్వయమైన ఆత్మకు, సమస్త ఉపాధులు విడిచిపెట్టిన స్థితిలో, బ్రహ్మచింతనతో సమానంగా స్థిరపడిన శక్తినే ‘ధ్యానం’ అని అంటారు।
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Cultivate meditation as the Self’s steady power when the mind is integrated and upādhis (limiting adjuncts) are relaxed; shift from deity-form contemplation toward Brahman-fixity for deeper absorption.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Dhyāna as Ātma-śakti aligned with Brahma-cintā, free of Upādhis","lookup_keywords":["dhyāna","upādhi","samanaska","brahma-cintā","ātma-śakti"],"quick_summary":"Meditation is the Self’s capacity manifest when mind is harmonized and adjuncts are dropped. Practically it is steadiness equal to Brahman-contemplation—less personal imagery, more non-dual fixation."}
Concept: Upādhi-śūnyatā and samanaska-sthiti enable Brahman-contemplation; dhyāna is the Self’s stabilizing power rather than mere mental activity.
Application: Reduce identification with body/mood/roles (upādhis) through neti-neti style reflection; then rest attention in ‘I-am’ awareness or Brahman-lakṣaṇa (sat-cit) without strain.
Khanda Section: Yoga-vidya (Dhyana–Samadhi–Moksha teachings)
Primary Rasa: Śānta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A meditator sits in profound stillness; layers representing upādhis (body, name, roles) fall away like translucent veils, revealing a luminous inner Self merging into a formless Brahman radiance.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, yogi with concentric aura layers peeling away, inner golden light expanding into abstract Brahman glow, minimal narrative, strong sacred geometry, calm palette","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, embossed gold radiance representing Brahman, meditator centered with veils of identity rendered as thin patterned sheets falling aside, rich ornamentation yet serene emptiness","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, stepwise visual: labeled upādhis dissolving, mind becoming ‘samanaska’, final panel of Brahman-contemplation as pure light, precise lines and soft colors","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, quiet interior with meditator, delicate translucent veils drifting away, central luminous blankness (negative space) indicating Brahman, refined shading and restraint"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: muktāśeṣopadhasya = mukta-aśeṣa-upadhasya; śaktirdhyānaṃ = śaktiḥ dhyānam; taducyate = tat ucyate.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 373.1 (dhyāna definition via Viṣṇu-cintā); Agni Purana 373.3 (uniform cognition without interruptions)
FAQs
It gives a technical definition of dhyāna: the Self’s focused capacity that arises when the mind is unified and freed from upādhis, becoming steady in Brahman-contemplation.
Alongside ritual and worldly sciences, the Agni Purana also systematizes Yoga/Vedānta terminology—here defining dhyāna with precise markers (mind-collection, upādhi-release, Brahman-cintā).
By identifying meditation as upādhi-free Brahman-contemplation, it points to dhyāna as a direct means of inner purification and liberation-oriented realization of the Self.