# अभिज्ञा (abhijñā)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/abhijna

अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) is a Sanskrit word meaning to recognize, perceive, or know, to acknowledge or agree to, to remember, knowing, skilful, clever, understanding or conversant with, remembrance, recollection. Its 13 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them To know, perceive, recognize, acknowledge (verb), Knowledgeable, skillful, clever (adjective), Remembrance, recollection, recognition (noun).

- **Root:** ज्ञा (jñā)
- **SLP1:** `aBijYA`  **IAST:** abhijñā  **Devanagari:** अभिज्ञा
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhij%C3%B1%C4%81
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/abhijna/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** अभिज्ञ (abhijña)

## Meanings by context

### To know, perceive, recognize, acknowledge (verb) (6 definitions)
- 1. To recognize, perceive, or know. 2. To acknowledge or agree to. 3. To remember.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 62,2] अभि - (abhi-) √ ज्ञा (√jñā) a - जानाति (-jānāti), ° नीते (°nīte), to recognize, perceive, know, be or become aware of; to acknowledge, agree to, own; to remember (either with the fut. p. or with यद् (yad) and impf. ), Pāṇini (Author) ii, 2, 112 seqq.; Bhaṭṭi-kāvya (Title) [ ID=11409 ]
- To recognize or discern  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 0129-a ] 1 To recognize, discern; ( सा ) नाभ्यजानान्नलं नृपं ((sā) nābhyajānānnalaṃ nṛpaṃ) Mb. ( pb ) [ ID=3079 ]
- To know, understand, be acquainted with, or perceive  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 0129-a ] 2 To know, understand, be acquainted with, be aware of, perceive; अहं हि नाभिजानामि भवेदेवं न (ahaṃ hi nābhijānāmi bhavedevaṃ na) वेति वा (veti vā) Mb.; Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 18. 55, 4. 14; 7. 13; भवदभिज्ञातं कथयतु (bhavadabhijñātaṃ kathayatu) Daśakumāracarita (Bombay) 3, 78. [ ID=3079 ]
- To consider, regard as, or know to be  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 0129-a ] 3 To look upon, consider or regard as, know to be. [ ID=3079 ]
- To admit, own, or acknowledge  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 0129-a ] 4 To admit, own, acknowledge; नपुत्रमभिजानामि त्वयि जातं (naputramabhijānāmi tvayi jātaṃ) Mb. [ ID=3079 ]
- 1. To recognize, perceive, or know. 2. To acknowledge or agree to.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 0062-a ] अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) abhi-jñā, cl. 9. P. A. -jānāti, -nīte, jñātum, to recognize, perceive, know, be or become aware of; to acknowledge, agree to, own. [ ID=4267 ]

### Knowledgeable, skillful, clever (adjective) (3 definitions)
- knowing, skilful, clever  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 62,2] अभि - ज्ञ (abhi-jña) mf( आ (ā) )n. knowing, skilful, clever [ ID=11410 ]
- understanding or conversant with  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > understanding, conversant with ( gen. or ifc. ) [ ID=11411 ]
- 1. Knowing or acquainted with. 2. Clever or skillful. 3. Experienced.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभिज्ञ (abhijña) ा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 047-19 ] अभिज्ञ (abhijña) a. (f. ज्ञा (jñā) ) 1. Knowing, acquainted with, (with the gen. or loc. यद्वा कौशलमिन्द्रसूनुदमने तत्राप्यभिज्ञो जनः (yadvā kauśalamindrasūnudamane tatrāpyabhijño janaḥ) Ut. v.); 2. clever, skillful; 3. experiencing, getting experience, (with the gen. or loc.) अभिज्ञ (abhijña) ा (abhijñā) श्छेदपातानां क्रियंते नन्दनद्रुमाः (abhijñāśchedapātānāṃ kriyaṃte nandanadrumāḥ) K.S. ii.41. [ ID=2514.1 ]

### Remembrance, recollection, recognition (noun) (2 definitions)
- remembrance, recollection  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 62,2] अभि - ज्ञा (abhi-jñā) b f. remembrance, recollection, Pāṇini (Author) iii, 2, 112 [ ID=11412 ]
- 1. Remembrance or recollection. 2. Recognition.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 047-20 ] अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) f. 1. Remembrance, recollection; 2. recognition. [ ID=2515 ]

### Supernatural faculty (Buddhism) (1 definition)
- a supernatural science or faculty of a Buddha, consisting of taking any form at will, hearing or seeing to any distance, penetrating men's thoughts, and knowing their state and antecedents  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > supernatural science or faculty of a Buddha (of which five or six are enumerated, viz. 1. taking any form at will; 2. hearing to any distance; 3. seeing to any distance; 4. penetrating men's thoughts; 5. knowing their state and antecedents). cf. षड् - अभ् (ṣaḍ-abh) ° (°), p. 1109 [ ID=11413 ]

### To remember, recollect (verb) (1 definition)
- To remember or recollect  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभिज्ञा (abhijñā) [Printed book page 0129-a ] 5 To remember, recollect; used with the Future instead of the Imperfect, Imperfect with यत् (yat), or both when interdependence of two actions is denoted, Pāṇini’s Aṣṭādhyāyī III. 2. 112, 114; cf. Bhaṭṭikāvya 6. 138, 139. [ ID=3079 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546
