Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 30
Chapter 378: Brahma-jñāna
Knowledge of Brahman
प्रत्यस्तमितभेदं यत् सत्तामात्रमगोचरं वचसामात्मसंवेद्यं तज्ज्ञानं ब्रह्म संज्ञितम्
pratyastamitabhedaṃ yat sattāmātramagocaraṃ vacasāmātmasaṃvedyaṃ tajjñānaṃ brahma saṃjñitam
എല്ലാ ഭേദങ്ങളും ലയിച്ച, സത്താമാത്രമായ, വാക്കുകൾക്ക് അഗോചരമായ, ആത്മസംവേദ്യമായ ആ ജ്ഞാനമാണ് ‘ബ്രഹ്മ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത്।
Lord Agni (traditional narrator of the Agni Purana) addressing sage Vasiṣṭha
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Vyakarana","practical_application":"Contemplate Brahman as non-differentiated pure Being, beyond speech, directly self-known—supporting nididhyāsana and deconstruction of conceptual distinctions.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Brahman as Nirbheda Sat-mātra (beyond speech, self-evident)","lookup_keywords":["pratyastamita-bheda","sattamatra","agocara vacasam","atmasamvedya","brahma-jnana"],"quick_summary":"Brahman-knowledge is defined as the realization of pure Being where all differences subside, inaccessible to verbalization yet directly evident to self-awareness. Practically, it redirects inquiry from concepts to immediate witnessing."}
Alamkara Type: Lakshana (indirect indication)
Concept: Nirbheda Brahman: pure existence-consciousness, not an object of speech, realized as immediate self-awareness (ātma-saṃvedya).
Application: Meditation cue: whenever the mind names/defines, return to the pre-verbal sense of ‘I-am’ and the witnessing presence in which distinctions appear and dissolve.
Khanda Section: Jnana-yoga / Vedanta (Brahma-jñāna, Tattva-nirūpaṇa)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"An abstract contemplative scene: a sage seated in stillness; around him, dissolving outlines of forms and categories fade into a single field of light labeled only by silence—speech symbols (letters) fall away at the periphery.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, meditating rishi with minimal background, surrounding forms melting into a luminous white-gold field, stylized Sanskrit letters fading at edges, serene symmetry, restrained ornament to suggest vāg-atīta","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central seated sage with subtle gold aura expanding into blank radiance, embossed gold used sparingly to indicate pure Being, minimal narrative elements, emphasis on stillness and light","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clean instructional composition: sage, fading thought-forms, gentle gradients showing dissolution of bheda, fine linework, calm palette, contemplative focus","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, scholar-sage in quiet chamber, calligraphy scrolls drifting away and dissolving into a pale luminous wash, delicate detailing, subdued colors to convey ineffability"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सत्तामात्रमगोचरं = सत्तामात्रम् + अगोचरम्; वचसामात्मसंवेद्यं = वचसाम् + आत्मसंवेद्यम्; तज्ज्ञानं = तत् + ज्ञानम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 378.32 (difference due to ignorance); Agni Purana moksha sections defining Brahman/Atman
FAQs
It imparts Brahma-jñāna (Vedāntic knowledge): Brahman is defined as distinctionless pure Being, beyond verbal description, realized through direct inner awareness rather than external ritual technique.
Alongside ritual, polity, medicine, and arts, the Agni Purana also preserves systematic metaphysical definitions; this verse functions as a concise Vedānta-style lakṣaṇa (technical definition) of Brahman and its mode of realization.
By directing the seeker to self-realized, speech-transcending knowledge, it points to liberation (mokṣa) through inner realization—reducing identification with difference and cultivating nondual insight that purifies karma at its root.