The Sanskrit word
अपश्यत (apaśyata), when transliterated, has two distinct meanings depending on how the prefix is interpreted in the original context:1. The primary meaning is "saw" or "looked"
In this sense, it is the third-person plural imperfect tense form of the verb root dṛś (to see), which in the present and past tenses uses the stem paśya.
- Translation: "They saw" or "You all saw".
- Context: This form is often found in narratives within scriptures like the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (SB).
2. A secondary meaning is "not seeing"
In this context, it functions as a negative participle, combining the negative prefix अ- (a-) with the participle paśyata (seeing/looking).
- Translation: "Not seeing," "not looking," or "not noticing".
- Context: This is used in philosophical texts or legal codes to describe someone who is lacking awareness, is not considering a matter, or is physically blind.
The closely related word अपāस्यत (apāsyata), with a long "ā" in the middle, is a participle meaning "discarding," "throwing off," or "rejecting".
You can verify the specific usage and context using online Sanskrit resources like the Sanskrit Dictionary at sanskritdictionary.com or the Wisdom Library.
more samples:
The Sanskrit word
अपश्यत (apaśyata) is a versatile verb form, most commonly meaning "they saw" (imperfect tense, third person plural) or less commonly as a participle meaning "not seeing" (due to the negative prefix 'a-').Here are samples of how apaśyata is used in Sanskrit literature:
1. In Narrative Context (Meaning: "They saw" or "You all saw")
This is the past tense usage from the verb root dṛś (to see), frequently found in epic and Puranic narratives.
- Sanskrit: yūyaṃ pustakam apaśyata
- Translation: "You all saw the book."
- Sanskrit: ...kāmaṁ apaśyata
- Translation: "...they saw desire/love" (used in a narrative describing people witnessing an emotion or personified god).
- Sanskrit: ...sarvān amanyata [and the objects/people they saw]
- Translation: "...they saw all [of them]..."
2. In Philosophical Context (Meaning: "Not seeing" or "Without seeing")
In some philosophical or yogic texts, the word functions as a negative participle, often transliterated slightly differently depending on the case endings (apaśyat or apaśyataḥ).
- Sanskrit: ...yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ, ...paśyan...api apaśyat...
- Translation: "...Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind... seeing (outwards)... yet also not seeing (not perceiving the object with attachment/ego)."
- Sanskrit: apaśyataḥ (genitive singular of "not seeing")
- Translation: "Of me, who am not seeing" or "of the unseeing one"
These examples show that the meaning is context-dependent, referring either to a past action of seeing or a present state of not seeing or discerning.
