Agni Purana — Yoga & Brahma-vidya, Shloka 2
अध्याय ३८० — गीतासारः
The Essence of the Gītā
श्रीभगवानुवाच गतासुरगतासुर्वा न शोच्यो देहवानजः आत्माजरो ऽमरो ऽभेद्यस्तस्माच्छोकादिकं त्यजेत्
śrībhagavānuvāca gatāsuragatāsurvā na śocyo dehavānajaḥ ātmājaro 'maro 'bhedyastasmācchokādikaṃ tyajet
ശ്രീഭഗവാൻ പറഞ്ഞു—പ്രാണൻ പോയാലും പോയില്ലെങ്കിലും ദേഹധാരിയെക്കുറിച്ച് ശോകിക്കേണ്ടതില്ല. ആത്മാവ് അജൻ, അജരൻ, അമരൻ, അഭേദ്യൻ; അതിനാൽ ശോകാദികളെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കണം.
Śrī Bhagavān (the Blessed Lord, i.e., Vishnu as supreme teacher)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Philosophy","secondary_vidya":"Moksha-shastra","practical_application":"Apply ātma-nityatva contemplation to reduce grief and fear around death and change; cultivate equanimity in loss.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Definition","entry_title":"Ātman: unborn, ageless, deathless, inviolable—therefore abandon grief","lookup_keywords":["ātman","aja","amara","śoka-tyāga","deha-vān"],"quick_summary":"Grief is misplaced because the Self is unborn, unaging, deathless, and cannot be harmed; recognizing this supports letting go of sorrow and related disturbances."}
Alamkara Type: Anaphoric listing (guṇa-samuccaya)
Concept: Distinguish the perishable body from the imperishable Self; sorrow belongs to misidentification with the body-mind complex.
Application: When grief arises, repeat the fourfold contemplation: ‘aja–ajara–amara–abhedya’; then observe sensations as bodily, not Self, and return to steady witnessing.
Khanda Section: Moksha-jnana / Atma-jnana (Teachings on the Self and freedom from grief)
Primary Rasa: Shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A teacher-figure (Bhagavān) instructs a grieving disciple; behind them, the body is shown as a fading silhouette while the Self is depicted as an unbroken flame or clear light.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, serene guru with raised teaching hand, disciple with lowered head, luminous flame-like ātman motif hovering above, muted earth tones, śānta bhāva emphasized","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central radiant light symbolizing the deathless Self with gold embossing; teacher and disciple seated, grief dissolving into calm, ornate aureoles","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, didactic diagram-like scene: body (deha) shown as transient, ātman as steady lamp; teacher pointing to the lamp, soft gradients and fine lines","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, intimate interior teaching scene, subtle expressions of grief turning to composure, symbolic unbroken lamp for ātman, fine textile details"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: श्रीभगवानुवाच → श्री-भगवान् + उवाच; 'मरो 'भेद्यः → अमरः + अभेद्यः; तस्माच्छोकादिकम् → तस्मात् + शोकादिकम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 380 (Gītā-sāra verses on ātma-jñāna)
FAQs
It imparts ātma-vidyā (knowledge of the Self): understanding the Self as unborn, unaging, deathless, and inviolable, which is applied as a practical discipline to renounce grief and lamentation.
Alongside its many external disciplines (ritual, polity, medicine, arts), the Agni Purana also preserves inner-knowledge teachings; this verse exemplifies its Vedāntic/moksha-jnāna layer, showing the text’s breadth from practical sciences to liberation philosophy.
By replacing grief with discernment of the immortal Self, one reduces attachment-driven suffering and the karmic agitation born of lamentation, cultivating equanimity (samatva) and progress toward liberation-oriented understanding.