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Great — let’s go deeper.
Here are the main aspects of Adhyāsa and Adhyāsa-dṛṣṭi explained clearly and systematically.
1. What Exactly Is Adhyāsa?
Śaṅkara defines adhyāsa in the Brahma-sūtra Bhāṣya as:
smṛti-rūpaḥ paratra pūrva-dṛṣṭa-avabhāsaḥ
“A false appearance of something previously experienced, projected elsewhere.”
In simple words:
➡ Putting something where it does not belong.
➡ Superimposing attributes of one thing onto another.
2. What Is Adhyāsa-Dṛṣṭi?
When perception itself is influenced by adhyāsa, that perception is called adhyāsa-dṛṣṭi.
Examples:
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Seeing the Self as a body
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Seeing plurality instead of nondual Brahman
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Seeing agency (“I act”) where the Self is actually actionless
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Mistaking happiness to be in external objects
It is a vision born of ignorance (avidyā).
3. Two Main Types of Adhyāsa
Advaita gives two levels:
(A) Ātma–anātma adhyāsa
Superimposing the body–mind on the Self and vice versa:
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“I am tall”
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“I am miserable”
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“I am the doer / enjoyer”
Here, body’s attributes are placed on the Self, and the Self’s consciousness is projected onto the inert body.
(B) Brahma–jagat adhyāsa
Superimposing the world upon Brahman:
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Perceiving duality
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Believing the world to be absolutely real
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Feeling bound within time, space, causation
This is why the world is called mithyā (empirically real, ultimately unreal).
4. How Adhyāsa-Dṛṣṭi Creates Bondage
Adhyāsa → Wrong Dṛṣṭi (Vision) → Suffering
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Mistaken identity (“I am the body”) leads to fear, attachment, desire, sorrow.
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Mistaking the world as absolutely real leads to anxiety and striving.
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Mistaking actions as “mine” leads to bondage (karma-bandha).
Thus, all saṃsāra is rooted in adhyāsa-dṛṣṭi.
5. How Is Adhyāsa Removed?
Adhyāsa is not removed by:
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Rituals
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Worship
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Meditation
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Action
These purify the mind (chitta-śuddhi) but do not destroy ignorance fully.
Only jñāna (knowledge) removes adhyāsa:
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śravaṇa (hearing the mahāvākyas)
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manana (reflection)
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nididhyāsana (deep contemplation)
Result → jñāna-dṛṣṭi, the vision of truth.
6. What Is Jñāna-Dṛṣṭi (Opposite of Adhyāsa-Dṛṣṭi)?
When ignorance ends, perception changes:
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“I am Pure Consciousness.”
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“Bodies, mind, world — all are appearances in Me.”
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The knower realizes non-duality while still seeing the world.
This is jīvan-mukti.
7. Daily-Life Examples of Adhyāsa-Dṛṣṭi
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Feeling insulted when someone criticizes “your body or mind”
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Thinking objects cause happiness
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Feeling “my child,” “my home,” “my success”
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Feeling afraid of death (because of identifying with the body)
All arise because of superimposition-based vision.
If you'd like, I can also explain:
📌 The fourfold classical types of adhyāsa
📌 The role of adhyāsa in the rope-snake analogy
📌 Differences between adhyāsa, vivarta, māyā, and avidyā
📌 A diagrammatic explanation
📌 How other philosophical schools refute or reinterpret adhyāsa
Which one would you like next?
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In Advaita Vedānta, traditional commentators describe four classical types of adhyāsa (superimposition). These help explain how the mind mixes up what belongs to the subject and what belongs to the object.
Here is the clear fourfold scheme:
1. Ātma–tad-dharma adhyāsa
Superimposing the qualities of the Self (Ātman) onto the body–mind.
Examples:
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“My body is conscious.”
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“My mind sees/knows by itself.”
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Treating inert objects as if they have awareness.
👉 Consciousness (Ātman’s nature) is projected onto the non-conscious body or world.
2. Tad-ātma-dharma adhyāsa
Superimposing the qualities of the body–mind (anātman) onto the Self.
Examples:
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“I am fat/thin.”
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“I am happy/sad.”
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“I am born; I will die.”
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“I am the doer/enjoyer.”
👉 The limitations and attributes of the body-mind system are falsely stuck onto the limitless Self.
3. Ātma–anātma adhyāsa
Superimposing the Self onto the body–mind.
This is identity confusion: treating the body, senses, mind as “I.”
Examples:
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“This body is me.”
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“This is my mind — I control it.”
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“I see/hear/think (as the body–mind).”
👉 The “I-sense” is transferred to the non-self.
4. Anātma–ātma adhyāsa
Superimposing the body–mind onto the Self.
Closely related to #2, but here the whole non-self is taken as the Self:
Examples:
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Considering the Self to be a limited individual (jīva).
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Mistaking the witness-consciousness as a psychological agent in the world.
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Identifying with caste, gender, status, roles.
👉 The non-self (body–mind–ego) is treated as the real Self.
How They Relate (Simple Map)
| Type of Adhyāsa | Description | Common Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ātma → anātma | Consciousness projected onto body/mind | “My body knows,” “My mind sees” |
| 2. Anātma → ātmā | Body’s attributes put on the Self | “I am sick,” “I am aging” |
| 3. Ātma = anātma (Self on not-Self) | Self wrongly identified with body | “I am this person” |
| 4. Anātma = ātmā (not-Self on Self) | Body/personality taken as true “I” | “I am a limited jīva” |
These four cover all possible misidentifications between subject (Ātman) and object (anātman).
Purpose of the Fourfold Analysis
Śaṅkara uses this classification (explicitly and implicitly) to show:
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How the entire sense of individuality arises
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Why bondage (saṃsāra) is nothing but mutual superimposition
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How correct knowledge (jñāna) removes all four types at once
Because once the subject and object are cleanly distinguished, non-dual reality (Ātman = Brahman) becomes evident.
If you want, I can also explain:
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The difference between adhyāsa and vivarta
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How these four types appear in the rope–snake analogy
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How removing these leads to jīvanmukti
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A diagram showing the relationship between the four types
Just tell me!
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