[Advaita-l] Defintion of anubhava

[Bhaskar YR]

It is in this context that one must understand Shankara BhagavatpAda's use of the word "anubhava", which is made clearer in his statement, bhavet AvRtti AnarthakyaM taM prati yaH tattvamasi iti sakRt uktameva brahmAtmatvaM *anubhavituM* shaknuyAt. (B.S.B. 4.1.2).

praNAms
Hare Krishna

Plenty of mails on this subject 'anubhava'.  Not read the whole thread completely.  

Shankara while talking about the pramANa says in brahma jignAsa unlike in dharma jignAsa, not only shAstra but alongwith shruti,  anubhava etc. also equally a valid pramANa.  Has anyone discussed in this thread what exactly is this anubhava' which is valid pramANa in brahma jignAsa??  Sri SSS makes the distinction between vaiyuktika anubhava (individual experience) and sArvatrika pUrNAnubhava (universal experience ) by citing the examples of jAgrat and svapna prapancha anubhava and sushupti's anubhava. The vaiyuktika anubhava is not the pramANa since the feeling or reaction at the psychological level that any one particular  individual experiences or happens at a particular period of time is not a valid pramANa here as this is purusha taNtra and anubhava in anubhavAdayascha cannot be this type of anubhava.  Hence, the anubhava is cognition or consciousness which everyone gets in an identical manner.  In Kannada text it is called sArvatrika pUrNAnubhava.  Further, Sri SSS confirms that bhAshyakAra has called this kind of universal intuitive experience of the innate nature of pure, absolute consciousness or knowledge alone as 'anubhava'.  Sri SSS insists that our tarka (deliberations) should be based on shruti sammata sArvatrika pUrNAnubhava.  It is because of this reason only individual experiences like nirvikalpa samAdhi cannot be a valid pramANa in brahma jignAsa.  

If it is already discussed in this thread kindly ignore this message.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar