Ajñar (Tamil/Sanskrit: literally 'the non-knowers') is a Śrī Vaiṣṇava paribhāṣā term for souls who have not yet received the essential knowledge transmitted through the Āchārya at the time of pañca-saṃskāra. This knowledge comprises the understanding of the three rahasyams — the Tirumantram, the Dvayam, and the Carama Ślokam — which reveal the true nature of the ātmā (as śeṣa, the servant), Bhagavān (as śeṣī, the master), and the upāya (prapatti) and upēya (eternal kainkaryam) respectively.
In the Śrī Vaiṣṇava framework, the ajñar are characterized by a fundamental confusion about identity: they mistake the body for the self, the world for a place of fulfillment, and the puruṣārthas of artha, kāma, and even dharma for ultimate goals. They have not grasped the insight that the ātmā belongs entirely to Bhagavān (śeṣatva jñānam) and that liberation (mokṣa) consists in the eternal, blissful service (kainkaryam) of the Lord in Śrī Vaikuṇṭham.
The ajñar are distinguished from the jñar (the knowing ones), who, having been graced by an Āchārya, understand the three rahasyams and have performed prapatti. The Āchāryas hold that the single most transformative event in a jīva's existence is the moment the Āchārya's grace descends and dispels this fundamental ignorance. Until that moment, even the most learned scholar or virtuous householder remains an ajñar in the ultimate sense.