Chapter 1
पुराणप्रश्नः
Agni Purana, Chapter 1: purāṇapraśnaḥ
Shlokas (18)
+ Add ShlokaChapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 1
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 1
श्रियं सरस्वतीं गौरीं गणेशं स्कन्दमीश्वरम । ब्रह्माणं वह्निमिन्द्रादीन वासुदेवं नमाम्यहम ।।
śriyaṃ sarasvatīṃ gaurīṃ gaṇeśaṃ skandamīśvaram | brahmāṇaṃ vahnimindrādīn vāsudevaṃ namāmyaham ||
I bow to Sri (Lakshmi), Sarasvati, Gauri, Ganesha, Skanda (Kartikeya) the Lord, Brahma, Agni, Indra and others, and to Vasudeva (Vishnu).
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 2
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 2
नैमिषे हरिमीजाना ऋषयः शौनकादयः । तीर्थयात्राप्रसङ्गेन स्वागतं सूतमब्रुवन ।।
naimiṣe harimījānā ṛṣayaḥ śaunakādayaḥ | tīrthayātrāprasaṅgena svāgataṃ sūtamabruvan ||
In Naimisha the venerable seers who know Hari — like Shaunaka — welcomed the sutra-narrator, saying: on the occasion of pilgrimage he is received (welcome).
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 3
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 3
सूत त्वं पूजितो ऽस्माभिः सारात्सारं वदस्व नः । येन विज्ञानमात्रेण सर्वज्ञत्वं प्रजायते ।।
sūta tvaṃ pūjito 'smābhiḥ sārātsāraṃ vadasva naḥ | yena vijñānamātreṇa sarvajñatvaṃ prajāyate ||
You, O Suta, are honored by us; speak to us the essence of essence—by which alone omniscience arises from mere knowledge.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 4
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 4
सारात्सारो हि भगवान विष्णुः सर्गादिकृद्विभुः । ब्रह्माहमस्मि तं ज्ञात्वा सर्वज्ञत्वं प्रजायते ।।
sārātsāro hi bhagavān viṣṇuḥ sargādikṛdvibhuḥ | brahmāhamasmi taṃ jñātvā sarvajñatvaṃ prajāyate ||
Indeed the essence of essences is Bhagavan Vishnu, the sovereign who created origin and so on; knowing ‘I am Brahman’ one attains omniscience.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 5
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 5
द्वे ब्रह्मणी वेदितव्ये शब्दब्रह्म परं च यत । द्वे विद्ये वेदितव्ये हि इति चाथर्वणी श्रुतिः ।।
dve brahmaṇī veditavye śabdabrahma paraṃ ca yat | dve vidye veditavye hi iti cātharvaṇī śrutiḥ ||
Two Brahmans are to be known: the word-Brahman and the supreme (para) Brahman which is that; and two knowledges are to be known — thus says the Atharvanic Sruti.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 6
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 6
अहं शुकश च पैलाद्या गत्वा वदरिकाश्रमम । व्यासं नत्वा पृष्टवन्तः सो ऽस्मान सारमथाब्रवीत ।।
ahaṃ śukaś ca pailādyā gatvā vadarikāśramam | vyāsaṃ natvā pṛṣṭavantaḥ so 'smān sāramathābravīt ||
I, Shuka and Paila went to the hermitage of Vadarika. Bowing to Vyasa, they asked him and he told us the essence.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 7
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 7
शुकाद्यैः शृणु सूत त्वं वशिष्ठो मां यथाब्रवीत । ब्रह्मसारं हि पृच्छन्तं मुनिभिश च परात्परम ।।
śukādyaiḥ śṛṇu sūta tvaṃ vaśiṣṭho māṃ yathābravīt | brahmasāraṃ hi pṛcchantaṃ munibhiś ca parātparam ||
Hear, Suta, from Shuka and the others what Vasishta told me. The sages enquire into the essence of Brahman, the supreme.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 8
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 8
द्वैविध्यं ब्रह्म वक्ष्यामि शृणु व्यासाखिलानुगम । यथाग्निर्मां पुरा प्राह मुनिभिर्दैवतैः सह ।।
dvaividhyaṃ brahma vakṣyāmi śṛṇu vyāsākhilānugam | yathāgnirmāṃ purā prāha munibhirdaivataiḥ saha ||
I will speak of the twofold nature of Brahman; hear, following Vyasa. As once the fire declared me to the sages and gods together.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 9
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 9
पुराणं परमाग्नेयं ब्रह्मविद्याक्षरं परम । ऋग्वेदाद्यपरं ब्रह्म सर्वदेवसुखावहम ।।
purāṇaṃ paramāgneyaṃ brahmavidyākṣaraṃ param | ṛgvedādyaparaṃ brahma sarvadevasukhāvaham ||
The ancient, supreme Agneya, the letter of Brahmavidya; beyond the Rigveda and others is Brahman, bringing joy to all gods.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 10
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 10
अग्निनोक्तं पुराणम यद आग्नेयं ब्रह्मसम्मितम । भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदं दिव्यं पठतां शृण्वतां नृणाम ।।
agninoktaṃ purāṇam yad āgneyaṃ brahmasammitam | bhuktimuktipradaṃ divyaṃ paṭhatāṃ śṛṇvatāṃ nṛṇām ||
That ancient said to the fire—Agneya, in agreement with Brahman—may those recite this sacred ancient text that grants enjoyment and liberation to those who hear and read.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 11
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 11
कालाग्निरूपिणम विष्णुं ज्योतिर्ब्रह्म परात्परम । मुनिभिः पृष्टवान देवं पूजितं ज्ञानकर्मभिः ।।
kālāgnirūpiṇam viṣṇuṃ jyotirbrahma parātparam | munibhiḥ pṛṣṭavān devaṃ pūjitaṃ jñānakarmabhiḥ ||
I describe Vishnu as time and fire, the supreme light and Brahman. The sages asked of that God; he was worshipped through knowledge and action.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 12
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 12
संसारसागरोत्तार-नावं ब्रह्मेश्वरं वद । विद्यासारं यद्विदित्वा सर्वज्ञो जायते नरः ।।
saṃsārasāgarottāra-nāvaṃ brahmeśvaraṃ vada | vidyāsāraṃ yadviditvā sarvajño jāyate naraḥ ||
Speak of the boat that ferries across the ocean of worldly existence, O Lord of Brahman. Knowing the essence of true knowledge, a man becomes omniscient.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 13
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 13
विष्णुः कालाग्निरुद्रो ऽहं विद्यासारं वदामि ते । विद्यासारं पुराणं यत सर्वं सर्वस्य कारणं ।।
viṣṇuḥ kālāgnirudro 'haṃ vidyāsāraṃ vadāmi te | vidyāsāraṃ purāṇaṃ yat sarvaṃ sarvasya kāraṇaṃ ||
Vishnu, Time, Fire, Rudra — I tell you the essence of knowledge. The ancient essence of knowledge is that which is the cause of all and everything.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 14
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 14
सर्गस्य प्रतिसर्गस्य वंशमन्वन्तरस्य च । वंशानुचरितादेश च, मत्स्यकूर्मादिरूपधृक ।।
sargasya pratisargasya vaṃśamanvantarasya ca | vaṃśānucaritādeś ca, matsyakūrmādirūpadhṛk ||
It (this truth) supports creation and dissolution, the lineage and the intervals between, the order of succession of generations; in forms like fish, tortoise and so on.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 15
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 15
द्वे विद्ये भगवान विष्णुः परा चैवापरा च ह । ऋग्यजुःसामाथर्वाख्या वेदाङ्गानि च षड द्विज ।।
dve vidye bhagavān viṣṇuḥ parā caivāparā ca ha | ṛgyajuḥsāmātharvākhyā vedāṅgāni ca ṣaḍ dvija ||
O Lord, there are two kinds of knowledge: the higher and the lower. The Vedas and their six limbs are the Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva and the Vedangas, O twice-born.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 16
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 16
शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं ज्योतिषाङ्गतिः । छन्दो ऽभिधानं मीमांसा धर्मशास्त्रं पुराणकम ।।
śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṃ niruktaṃ jyotiṣāṅgatiḥ | chando 'bhidhānaṃ mīmāṃsā dharmaśāstraṃ purāṇakam ||
Art of teaching, ritual (kalpa), grammar, etymology (nirukta), and the branches of astrology; prosody, lexicon, Mīmāṃsā, law-books and Purāṇas.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 17
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 17
न्यायवैद्यकगान्धर्वं धनुर्वेदो ऽर्थशास्त्रकम । अपरेयं परा विद्या यया ब्रह्माभिगम्यते ।।
nyāyavaidyakagāndharvaṃ dhanurvedo 'rthaśāstrakam | apareyaṃ parā vidyā yayā brahmābhigamyate ||
Logic, medicine, Gandharva (music/arts), Dhanurveda, and economics (arthashastra) — this is the higher knowledge by which one attains Brahman.
Chapter 1 — purāṇapraśnaḥ — Verse 18
Agni Purana · Chapter 1 · Verse 18
यत्तददृश्यमग्राह्यम अगोत्रचरणम ध्रुवम । विष्णुनोक्तं यथा मह्यं देवेभ्यो ब्रह्मणा पुरा । तथा ते कथयिष्यामि हेतुं मत्स्यादिरूपिणम ।।
yattadadṛśyamagrāhyam agotracaraṇam dhruvam | viṣṇunoktaṃ yathā mahyaṃ devebhyo brahmaṇā purā | tathā te kathayiṣyāmi hetuṃ matsyādirūpiṇam ||
That which is unseen, unknowable, without lineage, unmoving, described by Vishnu to me formerly by Brahma to the gods — so I will tell you the reason, appearing in the form of Matsya.