Agni Purana — Agneya-vidya, Shloka 2
Chapter 17 — सृष्टिविषयकवर्णनम्
An Account Concerning Creation
ब्रह्माव्यक्तं सदाग्रे ऽभूत् न खं रात्रिदिनादिकं प्रकृतिं पुरुषं विष्णुः प्रविश्याक्षोभयत्ततः
brahmāvyaktaṃ sadāgre 'bhūt na khaṃ rātridinādikaṃ prakṛtiṃ puruṣaṃ viṣṇuḥ praviśyākṣobhayattataḥ
在最初之时，梵（Brahman）以未显（avyakta）而恒存；彼时尚无虚空（kha），亦无昼夜等相。随后毗湿奴（Viṣṇu）入于自性（Prakṛti）与灵我（Puruṣa）之中，使之震动，由此开启创生。
Lord Agni (narrating Agni Purana’s cosmogony, traditionally to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Cosmology","secondary_vidya":"Philosophy","practical_application":"Provides a metaphysical frame for meditation and doctrinal clarity: creation begins when Viṣṇu (as immanent consciousness) ‘agitates’ Prakṛti–Puruṣa, helping practitioners distinguish unmanifest (avyakta) from manifest (vyakta) experience.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Avyakta-ādi Sarga: Viṣṇu’s Praveśa and Prakṛti-kṣobha","lookup_keywords":["avyakta","prakriti-purusha","vishnu pravesha","kshobha","sarga"],"quick_summary":"Before space-time markers (ākāśa, day/night) appear, reality is described as unmanifest. Creation starts when Viṣṇu enters/animates Prakṛti and Puruṣa, initiating disturbance that unfolds the tattvas."}
Concept: Avyakta precedes space-time; manifestation begins through consciousness (Viṣṇu) activating Prakṛti–Puruṣa.
Application: Use as a contemplative map: observe how ‘movement’ of mind projects names/forms; cultivate witness-awareness prior to conceptual space-time.
Khanda Section: Cosmogony / Sarga (Creation and Primordial Manifestation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dark, formless expanse without sky or time; Viṣṇu as luminous presence entering the subtle Prakṛti–Puruṣa field, causing the first ripple of creation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, deep indigo-black void, radiant Viṣṇu with subtle aureole, abstract swirling guṇa-waves around a lotus-like Prakṛti field, minimal figures, sacred symmetry, earthy pigments","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central Viṣṇu with ornate crown and gold halo, embossed gold work suggesting cosmic ripples, dark background signifying avyakta, stylized lotus motifs emerging faintly","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, refined linework, Viṣṇu as calm luminous figure, diagrammatic suggestion of Prakṛti–Puruṣa as two subtle forms, first vibration shown as concentric waves, soft palette","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, delicate wash, cosmic night scene with a luminous Viṣṇu figure initiating ripples in a dark expanse, fine cloud-like abstractions, minimal landscape, calligraphic border"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ब्रह्माव्यक्तम् = ब्रह्म + अव्यक्तम्; सदाग्रे = सदा + अग्रे; ऽभूत् = अभूत्; रात्रिदिनादिकम् = रात्रि-दिन-आदिकम्; प्रविश्याक्षोभयत् = प्रविश्य + अक्षोभयत्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 17.3-17.6 (tattva-krama); Agni Purana cosmology sections on sarga/pratisarga (elsewhere in Purana)
FAQs
It imparts cosmological doctrine: before creation there is the unmanifest (avyakta), and creation begins when Viṣṇu ‘stirs’ Prakṛti in relation to Puruṣa—an idea aligned with Sāṅkhya-style categories used in Purāṇic teaching.
By embedding philosophical cosmology (Brahman/avyakta, Prakṛti–Puruṣa, origin of space and time) into the text, it shows the Agni Purana’s scope beyond ritual—covering metaphysics and classical Indian knowledge-systems used to explain creation.
It frames the universe as arising from the Lord’s ordering of primordial principles, encouraging contemplation of the unmanifest source and the divine governance of creation—supporting detachment and devotion by recognizing time and phenomena as later manifestations.