Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 3
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्जाग्रत्स्थानविवर्जितम् अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्विश्वभावविवर्जितम्
ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirjāgratsthānavivarjitam ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirviśvabhāvavivarjitam
เราคือพรหมัน—แสงสูงสุด—พ้นจากภาวะตื่น (ชาครัต) เราคือพรหมัน—แสงสูงสุด—ปราศจากวิศวภาวะ คือความเป็นจักรวาลในสภาพปรากฏ.
Lord Agni (teaching Brahma-vidya to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Samanya","practical_application":"Turiya-oriented inquiry: negate waking-state identification and the sense of being the manifested universe; supports witness-consciousness practice across states.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Brahman Beyond Waking State and World-Condition (Jāgrat/Viśva-vyāvṛtti)","lookup_keywords":["jāgrat-sthāna","viśva-bhāva","ahaṃ brahma","parama-jyotis","avasthā-traya"],"quick_summary":"Brahman is not confined to the waking state nor to the role of 'the universe'; by negating state-based identity, one abides as the constant light of awareness."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora; conceptual parallelism (two negations paired) for mnemonic teaching.
Concept: The Self as Brahman is not a state (jāgrat) and not the world-form (viśva); it is the unchanging light that illumines all appearances.
Application: In daily activity, note 'waking' as an experience known; shift to the knower. In meditation, let the sense 'I am the world/agent' drop, resting as pure knowing.
Khanda Section: Vedanta / Atma-bodha (Non-dual Brahma-vidya)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A figure sits in meditation while a bustling waking-world scene (market, sun, people) appears like a translucent overlay that fades, revealing a steady inner light.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: layered composition—foreground lively waking world in stylized forms; behind it a seated yogin; the world layer rendered semi-transparent, dissolving into a central white-gold jyotis.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate waking-world border motifs (city, chariots) around a central gold aura; the meditator at center; heavy gold emphasizing the unchanging light beyond viśva-bhāva.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: instructional triptych feel—panel of waking scene, panel of dissolving universe silhouette, central panel of pure light with the refrain implied; soft colors and clear outlines.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: detailed waking-life vignette with fine architecture; a sage in a quiet corner; the scene fades into a blank luminous wash around the sage, suggesting transcendence of jāgrat."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Kalyan","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ज्योतिर्जाग्रत्स्थानविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + जाग्रत्स्थानविवर्जितम् (visarga→र्); ज्योतिर् विश्वभावविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + विश्वभावविवर्जितम् (visarga→र्).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Brahma-jñāna Adhyaya 377 (state/world negations within the refrain)
FAQs
Brahma-vidyā (Vedāntic self-knowledge): the practitioner contemplates identity with Brahman as pure luminous consciousness, transcending the waking-state limitation and phenomenal identification.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves concise Upaniṣadic-style Advaita instruction—showing its scope as a compendium that includes mokṣa-śāstra (liberation teaching).
By dissolving identification with waking experience and universal becoming, the verse directs the mind toward non-dual realization, which is traditionally held to burn ignorance (avidyā) and lead to liberation (mokṣa).