Agni Purana — Kosha, Shloka 27
Chapter 366 — सामान्यनामलिङ्गानि
Common Noun-Forms and Their Grammatical Genders
कार्यं दृष्ट्वा विना नस्यादर्थापत्तिः परार्थधीः प्रतियोगिन्यागृहीते भुवि नास्तीत्यभावकः इत्यादिनामलिङ्गो हि हरिरुक्तो नृबुद्धये
kāryaṃ dṛṣṭvā vinā nasyādarthāpattiḥ parārthadhīḥ pratiyoginyāgṛhīte bhuvi nāstītyabhāvakaḥ ityādināmaliṅgo hi harirukto nṛbuddhaye
ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ, ಅಗತ್ಯ ಕಾರಣವನ್ನು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸದೆ ಅದು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ಉಂಟಾಗುವ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯೇ ‘ಅರ್ಥಾಪತ್ತಿ’. ‘ಪರಾರ್ಥಧೀ’ ಎಂದರೆ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬನನ್ನು ಮನವರಿಕೆ ಮಾಡಲು (ಹೇತು ಮೊದಲಾದ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ) ಹೇಳುವ ಜ್ಞಾನ. ‘ಪ್ರತিযোগಿ’ ಗ್ರಹಿಸಲ್ಪಡದಾಗ “ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲ” ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಂಟಾಗುವ ಅಭಾವಜ್ಞಾನ ‘ಅಭಾವಕ’. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಮಾನವಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಅರಿವಿಗಾಗಿ ಹರಿಯನ್ನು (ವಿಷ್ಣುವನ್ನು) ‘ಅಲಿಂಗ’ (ಲಕ್ಷಣರಹಿತ) ಎಂದು ವರ್ಣಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
Lord Agni (instructing Sage Vasiṣṭha in encyclopedic doctrines)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Apply advanced pramāṇas (arthāpatti, abhāva) and debate-logic (parārthānumāna/parārthadhī); understand apophatic description of Hari as aliṅga to prevent misconstrual of the Absolute.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Pramāṇa and tarka terms: Arthāpatti, Parārthadhī, Abhāva; Hari as Aliṅga","lookup_keywords":["arthapatti","pararthadhi","abhava-pramana","pratiyogin","hari-alinga"],"quick_summary":"Defines postulation (arthāpatti), other-directed reasoning (parārthadhī), and cognition of absence (abhāva), and adds an apophatic theological note: Hari is taught as ‘aliṅga’ (beyond marks) for human understanding."}
Concept: Beyond logical instruments (arthāpatti/abhāva), the supreme Hari is indicated as ‘aliṅga’—not capturable by finite marks—yet taught in language for human comprehension.
Application: In reasoning, use arthāpatti to posit necessary unseen causes and abhāva to establish non-existence with proper counter-correlate framing; in theology, treat descriptions of the divine as pointers, avoiding reification of attributes as limits.
Khanda Section: Nyaya–Mimamsa (Pramana-vidya / Tarka-shastra)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A philosopher demonstrates: (1) arthāpatti by inferring an unseen cause from an observed effect; (2) abhāva by indicating an empty spot where an expected object is absent; above them, a subtle, formless radiance symbolizes Hari as aliṅga—beyond marks—without anthropomorphic depiction.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two scholars in debate with palm-leaf diagrams: one points from smoke to fire (arthāpatti-style postulation), another points to an empty ground-space labeled ‘abhāva’; above, a luminous abstract mandala suggesting aliṅga Hari, traditional pigments and bold contours","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-leaf radiance as an abstract circular aura representing aliṅga Hari; below, small narrative panels: inference from effect to cause and demonstration of absence; ornate borders and devotional restraint (no fixed deity form)","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear instructional triptych: panel 1 ‘arthāpatti’ with cause-assumption diagram; panel 2 ‘parārthadhī’ showing a debater addressing an audience; panel 3 ‘abhāva’ showing empty locus with counter-correlate label; top band with abstract light for aliṅga Hari","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, courtly debate scene with scholars and listeners (parārthadhī), a small inset showing an empty spot on the ground (abhāva), and a delicate non-figurative golden wash in the sky for aliṅga Hari; fine calligraphy captions"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नस्यादर्थापत्तिः = न + स्यात् + अर्थापत्तिः; प्रतियोगिन्यागृहीते = प्रतियोगिनि + अगृहीते; नास्तीत्यभावकः = नास्ति + इति + अभावकः; इत्यादिनामलिङ्गो = इत्यादि + नाम + अलिङ्गः; हरिरुक्तो = हरिः + उक्तः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana pramāṇa/tarka vocabulary in 366; theological sections where Vishnu’s nirguṇa/parama nature is taught elsewhere in the Purana
FAQs
It teaches pramāṇa-vidyā (epistemology): definitions of arthāpatti (postulation), parārthadhī (other-directed inferential reasoning), and abhāva-jñāna (knowledge of absence via the notion of pratiyogin).
Beyond ritual and mythology, it preserves formal categories from Mīmāṃsā–Nyāya logic—showing the Agni Purana’s scope as a compendium that includes Indian theories of knowledge and language used for debate and instruction.
By framing Hari as “aliṅga” (beyond limiting marks) while still using precise human concepts, it points to disciplined understanding—using correct knowledge as a support for right view and steadiness in devotion.