pratyakṣa
Devanāgarī: प्रत्यक्ष Translation: through the senses Opposite words:vikalpa, viparyaya Related concepts:anumāna, āgama, pramāṇa, vṛttiAppears in
Yoga Sūtra:Chapter 1: 7
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Commentaries around
“The first type of Pramāṇa, Pratyakṣa, arises from the continuous active link,
through the mind and senses, between Jīva and the object it perceives.
The second type, Anumāna, is when present perception is
based on what has been seen in other situations in the past.
For instance, when I see dark clouds, I think that it may rain.
With the third type, Āgamā, undistorted words from
a reliable source are the basis for perception.
The Veda are Pramāṇa by virtue of their source.
The sage Āpastamba proclaimed that the Veda are Pramāṇa for Dharma.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 7
“We perceive through
our senses,
inference and
others testimony.”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 7
“The ten senses or Das Indriya are the gateways
between our inner and the outer experiences,
in the twin roads of the worldly phenomena
that we call sensory knowing or bodily action.
The five senses that transport knowing from
the outer to the inner are called the Jñāna Indriya,
or the senses through which we perceive the world.
The five senses that transport action from
the inner to the outer are called the Karma Indriya,
or the senses through which we act out into the world.
The coordinator of this remarkable interface is Manas,
often referred to as the eleventh sense or internal organ.
The identifier in this remarkable process is Ahaṃkāra.
The discerner in this remarkable trinity is Buddhi.
The source of perception within this remarkable play
of knowing and action is known as Cit or Puruṣa.”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 54
“The means to right perception
involves direct observation,
inference and authentic authority.”
– Paul Harvey on Sāṃkhya Kārikā Āryā Four
“We may not perceive what is within
the range of the senses because we are:
Disinterested or too far from.
Overly interested or too close to.
Blind or deaf to what is in front of us.
Distracted.
Not relating with what is there.
Seeing something between.
Letting something else dominate.
Confusing with something similar.”
– Paul Harvey on Sāṃkhya Kārikā Āryā Seven
“So how do you find out these important facts?
According to Patañjali an object which can be understood by the mind
can be perceived in three ways Pratyakṣa, Anumāna, Āgamā:
Pratyakṣa (through the senses) – Direct perception
In other words the object placed in front of you.
The senses help us in comprehending the object.
Anumāna (inference) – We don’t have all the information.
We have certain indications that allow us to complete the picture.
Anu – to follow.
From the part you can get the whole.
From the effect you get to the cause.
Āgamā (authentic teachings) – No information directly.
Only information is from words
Some truth that has already existed.
We take the words and believe them as if we had seen it for ourselves.
For example God.
Patañjali has proposed three approaches or systems to verify the indications.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983
“The means to knowledge
i.e. our method of knowing (Pramāṇa – right perception), involves a progression,
a movement from Āgama (authentic teachings),
what we hear or perceive or learn from authoritative sources;
to Pratyakṣa (through the senses) to see the fire, itself, the fact, the truth, the reality.
Such a means to know is a movement from the gross to the subtle.
In Vikalpa, we don’t have this progression.”
– TKV Desikachar Madras December 19th 1988
“There are those Yoga teachers who speak to your fantasies
and those Yoga teachers who speak to your realities.”
– 108 Teaching Path Pointers
Links to Related Posts:
- T Krishnamacharya Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
- TKV Desikachar Yoga Sūtra Study Quotes Collected and Collated
- Paul’s Yoga Mālā – A Thread of Pearls from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra
- Paul’s Yoga Sūtra Study Keywords – Collected & Collated into Chapters
- Paul’s Yoga Sūtra Study Questions – Collected & Collated into Chapters
- Sometimes Yoga is called Darśana Vijñāna……