adhyasa

Adhyasa, from the Sanskrit adhi- meaning “upon” and ya- meaning “to place,” is commonly translated as superimposition or misperception. In Indian philosophy, the term refers to the cognitive error by which the mind projects or places properties of one thing onto another, producing false perception. It is especially central in Advaita Vedanta, where adhyasa is identified as the mechanism by which ignorance (avidya) gives rise to the appearance of multiplicity and of a separate individual self.

In Advaita Vedanta, adhyasa explains how the self (atman) comes to be experienced as distinct from Brahman. Due to ignorance, the mind superimposes the characteristics of the body, mind, and external objects onto the Self, while also projecting the everyday world of names and forms as real. This double misperception—both the identification of the Self with the body and the belief in a separate, external world—produces the sense of duality and limitation. The remedy is not denial of perception per se but the removal of the superimposed attribution through true knowledge (jnana) and discernment (viveka).

The philosophical program grounded in adhyasa seeks the dissolution of ignorance through inquiry into the nature of reality, scriptural testimony, and the guidance of a competent teacher. When correct knowledge arises, the superimposed attributes fall away, revealing the nondual truth that Brahman alone is real and that the apparent individual self and the world are dependent on consciousness.

Across different Vedanta schools, adhyasa is treated with varying emphases, but in Advaita it remains a foundational account of how perception can misrepresent ultimate reality.