अभिज्ञानम् _abhijñānam

अभिज्ञानम् 1 Recognition; तदभिज्ञानहेतोर्हि दत्तं तेन महात्मना Rām. (अभिज्ञान is a combination of अनुभव or direct perception and स्मृति or recollection; a sort of direct perception assisted by the memory; as when we say 'this is the same man I saw yesterday' सो$यं ह्यो दृष्टो नरः, अनुभव or direct perception leading to the identification expressed by अयम् and the memory leading to the reference to past action expressed by सः).

-2 Remembrance, recollec- tion; knowledge, ascertainment.

-3 (a) A sign or token of recognition (person or thing); वत्स योगिन्यस्मि मालत्यभिज्ञानं च धारयामि Māl.9; Bk.8.118,124; R.12. 62; Me.114; उपपन्नेरभिज्ञानैर्दूतं तमवगच्छत Rām.

-4 The dark portion in the dise of the moon. cf. अभिज्ञानं स्मृतावपि । गर्वे ज्ञाने च हिंसायां प्रणवे च समीरितम् Nm.

-Comp. -आमरणम् a recognition-ornament, a token-ring. अभिज्ञानाभरणदर्शनेन शापो निवर्तिष्यते Ś.4.

-पत्रम् a certificate, letter of recommendation.

-शाकुन्तलम् N. of a celebrat- ed drama by Kālidāsa in seven acts, in which king Duṣyanta marries Kaṇva's foster daughter Śakuntalā by the Gāndharva form of marriage, forgets all about her owing to the curse of Durvāsas, but ultimately recollects, at the sight of the token-ring (अभिज्ञान) that he had duly married her; अभिज्ञानेन स्मृता शकुन्तला अभि- ज्ञानशकुन्तला; तामधिकृत्य कृतं नाटकं˚ शाकुन्तलम्; (the reading ˚शाकुन्तलम् is grammatically indefensible).