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
Đức Thế Tôn phán: “Dù chúng sinh mang thân đã mất khí mạng hay chưa mất, cũng không đáng để than khóc. Tự ngã (Ātman) vốn không sinh, không già, bất tử và bất khả xâm phạm; vì thế hãy từ bỏ sầu não và những điều tương tự.”
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.