The ''Aparokshanubhuti'' (
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 ...
: अपरोक्षानुभूतिः) is a work attributed to
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 ...
, though his authorship is doubtful. It is a popular introductory work (
prakarana grantha) that expounds
Advaita Vedanta philosophy.
Etymology
Aparokṣānubhūti is a compound consisting of ''aparokṣa'' ("perceptible") and ''anubhūti'' (अनुभूति)("knowledge"), meaning "direct cognition"
[Wisdom Library]
''Aparokshanubhuti, Aparokṣānubhūti, Aparoksha-anubhuti''
/ref>[Sanskrit Dictionary]
áparaoksha''''anubhuti''
/ref> or "direct experience of the Absolute."[shlokam.org]
''Aparokshānubhuti''
/ref> Swami Vimuktananda renders it as "Self-realization."
Contents
* Verse 89-99 deal with '' prarabdha'', the karmic consequences of past deeds in the present life. Whereas Shankara supports the common notion that even a jnani bears those consequences in the present birth after realization, the ''Aparokshanubhuti'' argues against this view.
* Verse 100-129 describe Raja yoga
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long ...
as the means to attain samadhi and dwell in Brahma-consciousness. The synthesis of Advaita Vedanta with yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
is typical for late medieval Advaita Vedanta, incorporating elements from the yogic tradition and texts like the ''Yoga Vasistha
''Vasishta Yoga Samhita'' (, IAST: '; also known as ''Mokṣopāya'' or ''Mokṣopāyaśāstra'', and as ''Maha-Ramayana'', ''Arsha Ramayana'', ''Vasiṣṭha Ramayana'', ''Yogavasistha-Ramayana'' and ''Jnanavasistha'', is a historically popular ...
'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana'', and Vidyāraņya's ''Jivanmuktiviveka'' (14th century) has been dubbed "yogic Advaita."
Commentaries
The oldest extant commentary on this work is a Sanskrit commentary (Dipika or 'Elucidation') by Sri Vidyaranya
Vidyaranya (IAST: Vidyāraṇya), usually identified with Mādhavācārya, was the ''jagadguru'' of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from ca. 1374–1380 until 1386 – according to tradition, after ordination at an old age, he took the name of ...
(14th century). This work has been repeatedly translated and commented upon in other languages.
References
Sources
;Printed sources
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;Web-sources
{{reflist, group=web
External links
* Zoë Slatoff
Yoga and Advaita Vedānta in the Aparokṣānubhūti
master-teis including translation
* Zoë Slatoff
Yoga and Advaita Vedānta in the Aparokṣānubhūti
talk given at the World Sanskrit Conference in Vancouver, July 2018
Translation of Aparokshanubhuti
by Swami Vimuktananda
Vedanta Society, ''Swami Sarvapriyananda's lectures on Aprokshanubhuti - 44 Part Series''
Indian philosophy
Sanskrit texts
Advaita Vedanta texts