Adrishta

Adrishta

"invisible, unobservable, intangible, unintelligible"

The concept of Indian philosophy, mainly of school Vaisheshika, referring to the causes of natural and moral-psychological phenomena, inexplicable in the light of the observed factors (drishta).

In "Vaisheshika-sutras" adrishta is identified with the invisible cause of natural phenomena (magnetism, the upward movement of the fire flames, the horizontal movement of the wind, the circulation of water in plants, etc.). In Prashastapada, it becomes synonymous with dharma and adharma (virtues and vice) – the qualities of the soul (Atman) that condition soul reincarnation (samsara), and is the mechanism of the law of karma – moral retribution.

At the beginning of the cosmic cycle (sarga), the adrishtas of the souls inhabiting the universe serve as "information keepers" carrying through the cosmic night (pralaya) the image of the world that god Ishwara needs to create, so that all beings can again taste the experience of suffering and seeking liberation from it.

Despite the identification of adrishta with dharma and adharma, Prashastapada distinguishes the contexts of their use: he mentions dharma and adharma as causal factors in the general process of "normal" life (breathing, etc.), as well as morally colored mental and psychic activity (desire, reluctance, pleasure, etc.), while adrishta – in those cases when it comes to physical and mental phenomena (for example, magnetism, dreams), which could seem "strange" to Vaisheshikas.