Adhyāsa (Sanskrit:अध्यास Superimposition) is a concept in
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...
referring to the superimposition of an attribute, quality, or characteristic of one entity onto another entity. In
Advaita Vedanta, Adhyasa means a false superimposition of the characteristics of physical body (birth, death, skin color etc.) onto the
atman
Atman or Ātman may refer to:
Religion
* ''Ātman'' (Hinduism), meaning "Self", a philosophical concept common to all schools of Hindu philosophy
* ''Ātman'' (Buddhism), ''attā'' or ''attan'', a reference to the essential self
** ''Anattā'' ...
, and also the false superimposition of the characteristics of Atman (sentiency, existence) onto the physical body.
Origin
The first mention of Adhyasa is found within the Brahma Sutra Bhasya of
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
. Adi Shankara begins his commentary of the
Brahma Sutras
The ''Brahma Sūtras'' (), also known as the Vedanta Sūtra (Sanskrit: वेदान्त सूत्र), Shariraka Sūtra, and Bhikshu-sūtra, are a Sanskrit text which criticizes the metaphysical dualism of the influential Samkhya philos ...
by explaining what Adhyasa is and its nature.
Shankara lists different views about Adhyasa from different philosophical schools, which suggests that the concept of Adhyasa certainly existed before Shankara.
Definition
In his introduction to the commentary on Brahma Sutras, Shankara gives a definition of Adhyasa as thus -
Swami Gambhirananda
Swami Gambhirananda (1899–1988), born as Jatindranath Datta, was a Hindu sanyasi who servrd as the 11th President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Biography
He was born at Sadhuhati in today's Bangladesh. He graduated from Scottish Church Col ...
translates it as -
Karl H. Potter translates it as -
References
{{Reflist
Hindu philosophical concepts