Avidyā (Hinduism)

Avidyā (Sanskrit: अविद्या, IAST: Avidyā) is a concept in Hinduism that refers to ignorance or misconceptions about the nature of metaphysical reality. It is often characterized as a state of misunderstanding or incorrect knowledge, and is seen as the root cause of suffering in life.

Concept

In Hindu philosophy, Avidyā is the ignorance that obscures the true nature of the self and the world. It is the fundamental misunderstanding that leads to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, known as samsara. Avidyā is not merely the absence of knowledge, but a misconceived and distorted understanding of reality.

In Different Schools of Hinduism

Different schools of Hinduism interpret Avidyā in various ways. In Advaita Vedanta, Avidyā is seen as the ignorance that causes the illusion of duality, leading to the false identification of the self with the physical body and the material world. In Samkhya, Avidyā is the ignorance of the true nature of Purusha and Prakriti, leading to the entanglement in the cycle of birth and death.

Overcoming Avidyā

The primary means to overcome Avidyā is through the attainment of knowledge, or Vidya. This is not merely intellectual knowledge, but a profound realization of the true nature of reality, often achieved through meditation and spiritual practices. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna speaks of Vidya as the knowledge that leads to liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

See Also

• Maya (Hinduism)
• Moksha
• Karma
• Dharma