Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 8
Adhyāya 379 — अद्वैतब्रह्मविज्ञानम्
Advaita-brahma-vijñāna
भूमौ पादयुगन्तस्थौ जङ्घे पादद्वये स्थिते उरू जङ्घाद्वयावस्थौ तदाधारं तथोदरम्
bhūmau pādayugantasthau jaṅghe pādadvaye sthite urū jaṅghādvayāvasthau tadādhāraṃ tathodaram
บนพื้นดินมีเท้าทั้งสองวางอยู่; บนเท้าทั้งสองนั้นมีหน้าแข้งตั้งอยู่. เหนือหน้าแข้งเป็นต้นขา; และเหนือฐานนั้นเองคือท้อง (อุทร)
Lord Agni (narrating to the sage Vasiṣṭha, in the standard Agni Purāṇa dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Yoga-śāstra / Deha-nyāsa (Anatomical visualization for meditation and ritual nyāsa)","secondary_vidya":"Tantra","practical_application":"Guided body-mapping for nyāsa/dhyāna: sequential placement of awareness from feet upward to stabilize concentration and ritual visualization.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Deha-nyāsa krama: Feet–shanks–thighs–abdomen","lookup_keywords":["deha-nyasa","anga-krama","dhyana","adhara","yoga-shastra"],"quick_summary":"Gives an ordered visualization of bodily supports from feet upward, used to place awareness/mantra systematically and build a stable inner ‘seat’ for meditation."}
Concept: Embodied hierarchy of supports (ādhāra-ādhārya): awareness ascends through structured loci, aiding one-pointedness.
Application: Use as a stepwise dhyāna script: place attention at feet, then shanks, thighs, abdomen; synchronize with breath or mantra-nyāsa.
Khanda Section: Yoga-śāstra / Deha-nyāsa (Anatomical visualization for meditation and ritual nyāsa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A meditating practitioner visualizes the body as a stacked support-structure: feet on the ground, shanks above, thighs above, abdomen as the next support.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, seated yogin in padmāsana, schematic yet traditional depiction of limbs with labeled segments implied by gesture, earthy palette, calm temple ambience","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central yogin with halo-like aura, gold accents outlining limb segments, stylized anatomical stacking, lotus base, devotional-yogic fusion","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional clarity: yogin seated, subtle diagrammatic emphasis on feet–shanks–thighs–abdomen, fine lines, minimal background","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, quiet interior with yogin, delicate rendering of posture, subtle visual cues showing attention moving upward through limbs, soft textiles and floor patterns"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: pādayugantasthau = pāda + yuga + anta + sthau; jaṅghādvayāvasthau = jaṅghā + dvaya + avasthau; tadādhāraṃ = tad + ādhāram; tathodaram = tathā + udaram.
Related Themes: Agni Purana Yoga/nyāsa sections describing aṅga-nyāsa and kara-nyāsa (general); Agni Purana Tantra/Mantra portions on nyāsa prerequisites (general)
FAQs
It gives a deha-vinyāsa (body-part placement) sequence—feet → shanks → thighs → abdomen—used for structured visualization and, in ritual contexts, for nyāsa-like internal placement of awareness/mantra along the body.
Beyond myth and devotion, the Agni Purāṇa preserves practical yogic/ritual technicalities—here, a systematic anatomical ordering used in meditation and tantric-style body mapping—showing its wide coverage of applied religious disciplines.
By arranging attention in an ordered bodily ascent, the practitioner stabilizes concentration and purifies embodied awareness, supporting disciplined meditation and ritual correctness that are traditionally linked with merit (puṇya) and mental purification.