Vikṣepa
By Swami Harshananda
Vikṣepa literally means ‘throwing,’ ‘distracting’.
Vikṣepa as per Nyāya Philosophy[edit]
This is a technical word used in several senses. In the Nyāya philosophy, it is interpreted as ‘evasion’. When a person, who is involved in a disputation, finds himself on the losing side and tries to escape by saying that he has to go on some urgent business, it is called ‘vikṣepa’.[1]
Vikṣepa as per Yogasutras[edit]
In the Yogasutras,[2] the word is used to indicate those nine factors such as vyādhi,[3] pramāda[4] and avirati[5] which acts as antarāyas or obstacles to the practice of yoga.
Vikṣepa as per Advaita Vedānta[edit]
In the Advaita Vedānta, vikṣepa is one of the two śaktis[6] of avidyā.[7] For instance, avidyā covers the real nature of the rope as rope by its āvaraṇaśakti[8] and makes it appear as a snake by its vikṣepaśakti.[9]
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore