Vikshepa is the projecting power of the mind—the restless outward movement that scatters attention, fuels distraction, and obstructs steady contemplation.

Ignorance is not the absence of knowledge—it’s the presence of misperception. In Vedanta, ignorance (avidyā) is what makes us mistake a rope for a snake, or the body for the Self. This essay explores the subtle but pervasive force that distorts reality, and how knowledge—not belief—dispels it.