Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 4
Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिराकाराक्षरवर्जितं अहं ब्रह्म परं ज्योतिर्वाक्पाण्यङ्घ्रिविवर्जितम्
ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirākārākṣaravarjitaṃ ahaṃ brahma paraṃ jyotirvākpāṇyaṅghrivivarjitam
मैं ब्रह्म हूँ—परम प्रकाश—आकार और अक्षर (वर्ण/शब्द) से रहित। मैं ब्रह्म हूँ—परम प्रकाश—वाणी, हाथ और पाँव से रहित।
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in a mokṣa-oriented teaching section)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Apophatic meditation: negate form (ākāra), letters/sound (akṣara), and bodily organs of action/speech to abide as nirākāra, nirvikalpa awareness.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Nirākāra Brahman Beyond Akṣara and Indriyas","lookup_keywords":["ākāra-vivarjita","akṣara-vivarjita","vāk-pāṇi-aṅghri","nirguṇa","ahaṃ brahma"],"quick_summary":"Brahman is defined as beyond form, beyond linguistic/phonemic limitation, and beyond organs of speech and action; practice by dropping all conceptual and bodily self-definitions."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphora; also virodhābhāsa-like tension (speaking of that which is beyond speech) used pedagogically.
Concept: Brahman is nirākāra and beyond akṣara (letters/sound), and not an embodied agent with speech/hands/feet; it is self-luminous consciousness.
Application: In meditation, let even mantra-letters and inner verbalization subside; observe the sense of 'I speak/do/go' as a thought and rest as the silent witness.
Khanda Section: Moksha-dharma / Brahma-vidya (Non-dual contemplation of Brahman)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A luminous, formless field where letters dissolve and a human silhouette loses limbs into pure radiance, indicating Brahman beyond speech and action.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: start with faint Devanāgarī akṣaras swirling, then dissolving into a central white-gold aura; a meditating figure outlined, with hands/feet fading into light; restrained palette emphasizing transcendence.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: dominant gold-leaf expanse as formless jyotis; minimal central silhouette; scattered letters rendered as tiny motifs disappearing into gold; strong contrast to show 'akṣara-vivarjita'.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clean instructional gradient—letters at the edge fading inward; a figure with softened limb outlines; central blank luminous circle; subtle annotations implied by composition.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature: illuminated manuscript aesthetic—calligraphic letters in margins dissolving toward a blank central medallion of gold wash; a faint seated sage near the medallion, emphasizing silence beyond script."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Darbari Kanada","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: ज्योतिराकाराक्षरवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + आकाराक्षरवर्जितम् (visarga→र्); ज्योतिर् वाक्पाण्यङ्घ्रिविवर्जितम् = ज्योतिः + वाक्पाण्यङ्घ्रिविवर्जितम् (visarga→र्); पाण्यङ्घ्रि = पाणि + अङ्घ्रि (य्-सन्धि).
Related Themes: Agni Purana Brahma-jñāna Adhyaya 377 (series of negations culminating in beyond form and speech)
FAQs
It imparts Brahma-vidyā as a contemplative formula: meditate on the Self as nirguṇa Brahman—pure luminous consciousness—free from bodily organs and from verbal/sound-based designation.
Alongside ritual, polity, and other sciences, the Agni Purana also preserves mokṣa-śāstra material: concise Vedāntic definitions of Brahman used for contemplation and liberation-oriented instruction.
By dissolving identification with body, speech, and action-organs, the practitioner reduces ego-based karma-binding tendencies and stabilizes insight into the Self as unconditioned Brahman, a direct aid to liberation (mokṣa).