Abhyāsa, in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, is a spiritual practice which is regularly and constantly practised over a long period of time. It has been prescribed by the great sage

Patanjali Patanjali (, , ; also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra) was the name of one or more author(s), mystic(s) and philosopher(s) in ancient India. His name is recorded as an author and compiler of a number of Sanskrit works. The greatest of these a ...

in his Yoga Sutras, and by

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

in the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

as an essential means to control the mind, together with

Vairāgya Vairāgya () is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu philosophy, Hindu as well as Eastern philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the temporary material w ...

. An abhyasi is a spiritual seeker in the esoteric mystical traditions of Asia, notably

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. The word ''abhyasi'' means "one who practises" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. Ram Chandra defined an abhyasi as an "aspirant", or "one who practices yoga in order to achieve union with God".

Interpretation and Significance of Abhyāsa

Sutra 1:12 "Both practice (abhyāsa) and non-reaction (

vairāgya Vairāgya () is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu philosophy, Hindu as well as Eastern philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the temporary material w ...

) are required to still the patterning of consciousness.".This foundational verse introduces abhyāsa alongside ''vairāgya'' as twin disciplines necessary to calm the mind and attain yogic stillness. Furthermore, Sutra 1:13 states "Practice is the sustained effort to rest in that stillness." as translated by Chip Hartranft in his work ''The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali''. According to Swami Krishnananda sutra 1:13 means "Abhyasa or practice is the effort to fix one's own self in a given attitude." Prolonged periods of practice within a given attitude to align ourselves with our soul's freedom, this is practice. Our attitude is fixing series of mistakes by ourselves such that we "tend to greater and greater stages of freedom of the soul, and a lessening and decreasing of the intensity of bondage." This principle is echoed in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna acknowledges the mind’s restlessness but insists it can be trained: “The mind is restless... but it can be controlled by abhyāsa and vairāgya.” (Bhagavad Gita 6.35–36). Further elaboration on abhyāsa appears in later Hindu and yogic literature: In Vedanta, especially in Shankaracharya’s Vivekachudamani, abhyāsa is defined as the unceasing effort to focus the mind on Brahman, the formless ultimate reality. In the Yoga Yajnavalkya, abhyāsa must be accompanied by utsāha (enthusiasm) and absence of anavasāda (mental despondency) for success. In Bhakti Yoga, it denotes continual remembrance of God through chanting, prayer, and emotional devotion. In Karma Yoga, it is seen as regular, detached performance of duty without concern for personal gain.

Historical Etymology and Linguistic Roots

The term Abhyāsa comes from the Sanskrit root “abhi-” (toward) + “yās” (to sit, remain). It implies dwelling repeatedly upon something or rehearsing a nuance often lost in simplified English translations. In Vedic literature, the term originally denoted repeated sacrificial performance or recitation of mantras before evolving into a yogic and philosophical term.

References

{{Reflist Hindu philosophical concepts Yoga concepts