Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
: अनुपलब्धि) means 'non-recognition', 'non-perception'. This word refers to the
Pramana
''Pramana'' (Sanskrit: प्रमाण, ) literally means "proof" and "means of knowledge".Kumārila for the perception of non-existence of a thing. He holds that the non-existence of a thing cannot be perceived by the senses for there is nothing with which the senses could come into contact in order to perceive the non-existence.
According to the Bhāṭṭa school of Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā and Advaita-Vedānta system of philosophy, Anupalabdhi is a way to apprehend an absence; it is regarded as a means of knowledge, the other five being – '' pratyakṣa'' ('perception'), '' anumāna'' ('inference'), '' śabda'' ('testimony'), ''upamāna'' ('comparison') and ''arthāpatti'' ('presumption'). The perception of negation or non-existence in its various forms is also due to the relation of attributiveness.
All things exist in places either in a positive (''sadrupa'') or in a negative (''asadrūpa'') relation, and it is only in the former case that they come into contact with the senses, while in the latter case the perception of the negative existence can only be had by a separate mode of movement of the mind, a separate ''pramāṇa'' – ''anupalabdhi''.
Indirect knowledge of non-existence can be attained by other means but direct knowledge of non-existence of perceptible objects and their attributes is available only through this kind of ''pramāṇa'' which is not inference.
There are four verities of ''Anupalabdhi'' which have been identified, they are – a) ''kāraṇa-anupalabdhi'' or 'non-perception of the causal condition', b) ''vyāpaka-anupalabdhi'' or 'non-perception of the pervader', c) ''svabhāva-anupalabdhi'' or 'non-perception of presence of itself', and d) ''viruddha-anupalabdhi'' or 'non-perception of the opposed'. The lack of perceptible (''yogya'') adjuncts (''upādhi'') is known through non-perception of what is perceptible (''yogya-anupalabdhi'') and the lack of imperceptible adjuncts is known by showing that which is thought to be an adjunct.
The followers of
Prabhākara
Prabhākara (active c. 6th century) was an Indian philosopher-grammarian in the Mīmāṃsā tradition of Kerala.
Probable date
Hariswamin's commentary on Shatapatha Brahmana which dates to 638 CE discusses the doctrine of Prabhākara's fol ...
and the
Vishishtadvaita
Vishishtadvaita (IAST '; sa, विशिष्टाद्वैत) is one of the most popular schools of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta literally means the in depth meaning ''of the Vedas.'' ''Vishisht Advaita'' (liter ...
do not accept ''anupalabdhi'' as a separate ''parmāṇa'' because the same sense organs which apprehend an entity can also cognize its ''abhāva'' or the non-existence.
Buddhism
According to Dharmakirti, ''anupalabdhi'' is the affirmative assertion of a negative prediction, and is same as ''anumāna'' of an ''abhāva''.