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
Ta là Brahman—Ánh Sáng tối thượng—không hình tướng và không chữ âm (âm/ lời). Ta là Brahman—Ánh Sáng tối thượng—không lời nói, không tay, không chân.
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).