---
type: Reference
bundle: upanishadic-core
id: aparokshanubhuti
title: "Aparokṣānubhūti"
description: "Advaita manual attributed to Shankara on direct (aparoksha) realization through inquiry."
tradition: Advaita Vedānta
author: "Attributed to Śaṅkarācārya (c. 788–820 CE)"
language: Sanskrit
approximate_date: "c. 8th–10th century CE"
key_concepts_in_bundle: [sakshin, nididhyasana, brahmabhavana]
timestamp: "2026-07-01"
okf_version: "0.2"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# Aparokṣānubhūti — अपरोक्षानुभूति

"Direct (non-mediated) experience." A short text (144 verses) attributed to Śaṅkara on the method of direct Ātman recognition. Covers the 15 aids to Yoga, Vicāra (inquiry), and the nature of direct Ātman recognition versus mediated knowledge.

## Key Passages for Bundle Concepts

| Verses | Concept | Content |
|--------|---------|---------|
| 12–16 | Sākṣin | Direct inquiry into the witness consciousness |
| 85–100 | Nididhyāsana | The sustained contemplation practice |
| 115–130 | Brahmabhāvanā | The "I am Brahman" recognition as direct knowledge |

## The Title's Significance

"Aparokṣa" = not indirect, not mediated; "Anubhūti" = experience, recognition. The title contrasts with Parokṣa Jñāna (indirect, inferential, or testimony-based knowledge) — the kind of knowledge that says "Brahman exists" without the direct recognition. The text's concern is precisely the transition from Parokṣa Jñāna (established by Śravaṇa and Manana) to Aparokṣa Jñāna (the direct recognition stabilized by Nididhyāsana).

## Recommended Editions

- Swami Vimuktananda translation (Advaita Ashrama)
- Gambhīrānanda (included in some Advaita Ashrama collections)
