Anupalabdhi
Anupalabdhi (IAST)Translation: "non-cognition"
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: अनुपलब्धि
Transliteration: Anupalabdhi
Translation: "non-cognition; non-apprehension; non-perception"
Definition:
- The Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṃsakas and the Advaita Vedāntins hold that non-existence (Abhāva) is known through non-cognition. The absence of an object is known due to its non-perception. It is the specific cause of an immediate knowledge of non-existence. It is based upon the presumption that non-existence is a separate category. The above two schools are the only schools to accept non-cognition as a separate valid means of knowledge (Pramāṇa). Even as positive apprehension of some existent through a valid means of knowledge is a way of cognizing, so is the non-apprehension of something another way of cognizing according to these two schools. The critics say that this is merely a variant of perception and not really a separate source of cognition. However, as it is the specific cause of an immediate knowledge of non-existence which is not produced by any other means of knowledge, it deserves a place in the list of valid Pramāṇa(s) (or so claim the Bhāṭṭa Mīmāṃsakas and the Advaita Vedāntins).
Reference:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
