Prātibha

By Swami Harshananda

Prātibha literally means ‘intuition’.

Many powers are hidden in the mind. Spiritual disciplines involving purification and concentration bring out these hidden powers.

One such, mentioned in the Yogasutras of Patañjali is the prātibha. It is the power by which correct and clear knowledge about any object arises in the mind just by a wish needing no other means. It may be as follows:

• Sukṣma - knowledge concerning a very subtle object.
• Vyavahita - knowledge of hidden object.
• Viprakṛṣta - knowledge of object at a great distance.
• The knowledge of past and future events.

References

• The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore