Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 8
Adhyaya 165 — नानाधर्माः
Various Dharmas
ब्रह्मभूतः स एवेह योगी चात्मरतो ऽमलः विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगात् केचिद् योगं वदन्ति वै
brahmabhūtaḥ sa eveha yogī cātmarato 'malaḥ viṣayendriyasaṃyogāt kecid yogaṃ vadanti vai
Ngay tại đây, chính người ấy là một yogin—đã trở thành Phạm (Brahman), an lạc trong Tự ngã và thanh tịnh không cấu nhiễm. Tuy vậy, có kẻ lại gọi “yoga” là sự kết hợp của các căn với các đối tượng của chúng.
Lord Agni (teaching to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Yoga-vidya","practical_application":"Discriminate true yoga (Self-abidance/Brahma-bhava) from a merely sensory definition; use this as a diagnostic for one’s practice and teachers.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Yoga: Brahmabhūta-ātmarati vs indriya-viṣaya-saṃyoga","lookup_keywords":["yoga definition","brahmabhūta","ātmarati","indriya-viṣaya-saṃyoga","viveka"],"quick_summary":"The verse contrasts the highest sense of yoga—stainless Self-delight and Brahman-realization—with a lower, mistaken usage that calls sensory contact ‘yoga’. It teaches definitional clarity (viveka) about the term."}
Concept: Yoga is fundamentally Brahman-abidance (brahmabhāva) and Self-delight (ātmarati), not sensory conjunction; correct definition is itself a step toward liberation.
Application: Use as a criterion: if practice increases sensory entanglement, it is not ‘uttama-yoga’; cultivate inner purity and Self-recollection.
Khanda Section: Yoga-vidya (Moksha-dharma / Spiritual disciplines)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A serene yogin, radiant and stainless, seated in meditation; on one side, symbolic senses reaching toward objects, contrasted with the yogin’s inward absorption in the Self.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style, temple-wall palette (ochres, greens, reds), central yogin with halo-like tejas, stylized indriyas as small attendants pulling toward viṣayas, but subdued; calm śānta mood.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, thick gold relief around the yogin’s aura, lotus seat, minimal background; small vignettes of sense-objects at the margins to show the ‘lower definition’ being rejected.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, fine linework, instructional composition: left panel ‘indriya-viṣaya-saṃyoga’, right panel ‘brahmabhūta yogin’; soft colors, clear labels in Devanagari-style cartouches.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed interior of an ashram; yogin in quiet corner, while courtiers enjoy sensory pleasures in another corner; visual contrast of inwardness vs outwardness, delicate brushwork."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Ahir Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चात्मरतोऽमलः = च + आत्मरतः + अमलः; केचिद् = के + चित्; विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगात् = विषय + इन्द्रिय + संयोगात् (समास)
Related Themes: Agni Purana 165.10 (uttama-yoga as vṛtti-nirodha and aikya); Agni Purana 165.12 (pratyāhāra: turning senses inward)
FAQs
It gives a technical definition of the yogin as brahmabhūta (Brahman-established), ātmarata (Self-delighting), and amala (stainless), while noting an alternate (and lower) usage where ‘yoga’ is taken as mere sense–object conjunction (viṣaya–indriya-saṃyoga).
The Agni Purana compiles multiple disciplines; here it preserves competing definitional strands of ‘yoga’—a Vedāntic/spiritual characterization of the yogin alongside a more descriptive psychological definition tied to sense-contact—showing its survey-like, multi-school coverage.
It directs the aspirant away from identifying yoga with sensory engagement and toward purification and Self-abidance—implying that liberation-oriented yoga culminates in Brahman-realization and inner stainlessness rather than sense-driven experience.