Elements Of Yoga In Agni Mahāpurāṇa: A Textual And Comparative Study
S. Nayak, P. Dash
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science April 1, 2026 DOI: 10.9790/0837-3104032224 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the Agni Mahāpurāṇa presents a systematic Aṣṭāṅga Yoga integrating ethics, bodily control, and spirituality, with nāḍī–cakra theory and ajapājapa enriching its yogic physiology. Proposes that this Puranic approach, compared with Pātañjali’s Yoga Sūtras and other texts, frames yoga as a path to both worldly enjoyment (bhukti) and liberation (mukti). |
Abstract
The Agni Mahāpurāṇa, one of India’s renowned Mahāpurāṇas, provides a systematic account of Yoga which integrates ethical conduct, bodily control, consciousness, and spiritual learning. This article examines the aspects of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga that exist in Agni Purāṇa, with yama and niyama as moral disciplines, āsana and prāṇāyāma as principles of physical and psychological steadiness, and the higher limbs, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi as learners in terms of inner understanding. It points to the Puranic aspect and focuses on nāḍī–cakra theory and ajapājapa that have developed subtle yogic physiology based on ethical and devotional dimensions under the guidance of dharma. The Agni Mahāpurāṇa (AMP) also provides context for the study in comparison to Pātañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, and Bhagavad Gītā, the conceptualist for Yoga practice in the Puranic philosophy, and how yoga is a path for a deeper Hindu understanding, as we can see from bhukti and mukti.