Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 25
Adhyāya 375 — समाधिः
Samādhi
अव्यक्त आत्मा क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रस्त्यास्य निगद्यते ईश्वरः सर्वभूतस्य सन्नसन् सदसच्च सः
avyakta ātmā kṣetrajñaḥ kṣetrastyāsya nigadyate īśvaraḥ sarvabhūtasya sannasan sadasacca saḥ
不显现的自我（avyakta ātman）被称为“知田者”（kṣetrajña）；而其“田”（kṣetra）亦如此称名。他是一切众生之主——同摄有与无；他亦既是存在者，也是非存在者。
Lord Agni (teaching to sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purana’s instructional dialogue frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Cosmology","practical_application":"Kṣetra–kṣetrajña contemplation: separating the knower from the known; integrating īśvara as the lord of being/non-being for non-dual reflection.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Avyakta Ātman as Kṣetrajña; Īśvara as Lord of Sat and Asat","lookup_keywords":["avyakta","kṣetrajña","kṣetra","īśvara","sat-asat"],"quick_summary":"Defines the unmanifest Self as the Knower of the Field and frames the Lord as encompassing both being and non-being, supporting a metaphysical basis for liberation inquiry."}
Concept: Kṣetra (field of experience) is distinct from kṣetrajña (knower); īśvara transcends and includes sat/asat, pointing to a comprehensive ground of reality.
Application: Daily inquiry: ‘I am the knower, not the field’ (body-mind). Pair with īśvara-smaraṇa to dissolve egoic ownership and stabilize witnessing awareness.
Khanda Section: Moksha-śāstra (Sāṅkhya–Vedānta / Kṣetra–Kṣetrajña doctrine)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A meditative sage visualizing two layers: the ‘field’ as body-mind-elements and the luminous ‘knower’ as unmanifest witness; above, an all-encompassing īśvara symbol uniting being and non-being.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: seated yogi with subtle aura, transparent overlay showing body as kṣetra with elemental symbols, behind him a vast dark-gold cosmic form indicating īśvara beyond sat/asat, stylized lotuses and clouds","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central serene witness-figure with gold halo, surrounding ring of five elements and senses as the field, above a larger gold-embossed īśvara emblem (om/linga/viṣṇu-like) signifying sat-asat, ornate borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined philosophical tableau—guru instructing disciple, two-part diagram (kṣetra vs kṣetrajña) with subtle shading, emphasis on clarity and calm","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: contemplative scholar-saint in garden, faint luminous silhouette behind him as ‘knower’, detailed marginalia showing elements and senses, restrained gold, poetic atmosphere"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: क्षेत्रस्त्यास्य = क्षेत्रः तु अस्य; सन्नसन् = सन् असन्; सदसच्च = सत् असत् च.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 375.24 (constituents of kṣetra); Agni Purana 375.26-27 (evolution/dissolution of field)
FAQs
It imparts mokṣa-vidyā: the technical distinction between kṣetra (the experiential field—body/mind/prakṛti) and kṣetrajña (the conscious knower—Ātman), identifying the supreme principle as Īśvara beyond both being and non-being.
Alongside rituals, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves systematic metaphysics. This verse exemplifies its philosophical compendium by summarizing Sāṅkhya–Vedānta style categories (kṣetra/kṣetrajña; sat/asat) within a Purāṇic teaching format.
By discerning the Self as the kṣetrajña and not the kṣetra, one weakens identification with actions and their fruits, supporting detachment (vairāgya) and knowledge (jñāna) that culminate in liberation (mokṣa).