Darzana

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Darzana

Darzana/Darśana (दर्शन) is a Sanskrit term that means "auspicious sight" or vision of truth. Within the vedic system, this is a connection driven knowing/insight that dispels "the darkness" (i.e., brings great insight) and allows one to "see the highest reality." In India, philosophy is known as darśana or “vision of truth.” Philosophy built up from visions of truth.

Concept Map

Related LP Terms

Darzana > Comprehensive Framework

Related LP Terms

Darzana >

Syncretic Terms

Union Experience > Ascension Experience, Darzana, Samadhi

Notes

Maslow's Eupsychian Framework could qualify as Darzana, i.e., philosophy built up from visions of truth. It was a vision, after all, which got him redirected into this direction.

In LP terms, Darśana is a type of Union Experience, one that provides the individual with great insight.

The Sanskrit term दर्शन (IAST: Darśana; commonly transliterated as Darshana) is a multifaceted concept with rich meanings across religious, philosophical, and cultural contexts.

In its deepest sense, darśana represents a reciprocal perceptual covenant: the practitioner both sees and is seen by the sacred, establishing a dynamic, participatory relationship with divine consciousness that actively shapes knowledge and experience.

Etymology & Literal Meaning

Derived from the root दृश् (dṛś - "to see"), darśana fundamentally means:

• Seeing, viewing, looking at
• Sight, vision, appearance
• Observation, inspection (as in Ayurvedic examination)

The etymological definition is captured in the phrase: "दृश्यते अनेन इति दर्शनम्"—"that by which seeing is done" or "through which divine vision is obtained"

Religious Significance (Hinduism)

In devotional practice, darśana refers to the auspicious sight of the divine:

• The reciprocal act of seeing and being seen by a deity, sacred image, or holy person
• A transformative spiritual experience where the devotee receives divine blessings through visual communion
• Ritually enacted in temples when the curtain is removed from a deity's image, allowing devotees to receive the deity's gaze

Philosophical Systems

Darzana insights are powerful and transforming, so much so that they can not only transform one's view of reality, but create the drive for systematizing. In Hindu often lead toften leads to the the development of worldviews, Weltanschauungs, and Frameworks.

I would argue that Abraham Maslows vision for a psychology of the peace table

Within the Vedic realm, it grounded the development of the six classical philosophical systems, each darśana providing not simply a set of beliefs, but a practical Comprehensive Framework—a distinctive lens through which the cosmos, self, and liberation can be apprehended, enacted, and ultimately transcended.

This makes darśana both a spiritual technology and a living epistemology, where vision becomes the transformative medium through which reality is revealed, interpreted, engaged, and changed.

Darśana designates the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, each representing a distinct "viewpoint" (darśana) on reality and liberation:

1. Sāṃkhya
2. Yoga
3. Nyāya
4. Vaiśeṣika
5. Mīmāṃsā
6. Vedānta

These are called āstika (orthodox) systems because they accept Vedic authority.

In Other Indian Traditions

• Buddhism: Refers to the "ground of seeing" (darśana-bhūmi), the first stage of spiritual attainment where one becomes a Srotaāpanna (stream-enterer)
• Jainism: Means "to see beautiful things" and represents both:
  • One of 24 activities causing karmic influx
  • The first stage (pratimā) for laypersons—right faith through understanding doctrine

Modern Usage

In contemporary Hindi and other Indian languages, darśan extends to mean:

• Meeting, audience, or visit (भेंट, मुलाकात)
• A philosophical doctrine or worldview
• Knowledge or realization (ज्ञान, बोध)
• Showing or revealing something

The term embodies a profound concept where seeing is not merely physical observation but a transformative act of connection and knowing that transforms our understanding of reality.

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Footnotes

References

vedic