Viparita-bhavana - Lingering Contrary Notions
- Daniel McKenzie
- Sep 13
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 25
In Vedanta, viparita-bhavana (viparīta-bhāvanā) means “contrary notion” — the persistence of old, habitual conditioning even after correct knowledge has been gained. Unlike viparyaya (error or inversion caused by ignorance), which is removed by Self-knowledge, viparita-bhavana is subtler: the conditioning of the mind lingers, making one continue to “feel” bound, small, or incomplete even though one “knows” the teaching.
A classic example is this: the student has heard and understood “I am not the body, I am awareness.” Yet in daily life, fear, shame, or pride still arise as though the Self were limited. These emotional reactions are not a lack of knowledge but traces of old patterns — deeply ingrained habits of thought and feeling that run contrary (viparita) to the new vision.
Shankara and traditional teachers stress that these habitual errors are worn away through nididhyasana — deep assimilation of the teaching, living with it until it saturates one’s daily orientation. viparita-bhavana does not require new information; it requires steady exposure and reconditioning so that the mind naturally abides in the truth.
Thus, viparita-bhavana explains why liberation is not just intellectual understanding but requires assimilation. Self-knowledge is immediate, but its full freedom is lived only when contrary habits of thinking are dissolved.
Root & Meaning
Viparīta = inverted, contrary, opposed.
Bhāvanā = attitude, habitual notion, conviction.
Viparīta-bhāvanā = “contrary conviction,” the persistence of old contrary tendencies after gaining true knowledge.
Scriptural & Traditional References
Shankara on Bhagavad Gita 6.35: even after knowledge, the restless mind must be trained to abide in clarity.
Vedanta manuals (e.g., Vedantasara) list viparita-bhavana as an obstacle that remains until assimilated through nididhyasana.
Teachers like Swami Dayananda: “Ignorance goes with knowledge, but habits do not go away automatically.”
Traditional View
Knowledge removes viparyaya (the error itself).
But habits of emotional and mental response (viparita-bhavana) remain.
These are exhausted through consistent dwelling on the truth (nididhyasana) and living a life of dharma.
Vedantic Analysis
Example: I know the sun does not “rise,” but I still say “sunrise.” Likewise, I know I am limitless, yet I may still “feel” limited.
viparita-bhavana is not ignorance but conditioning.
It explains why assimilation is gradual even though knowledge is immediate.
Common Misunderstandings
That viparita-bhavana means lack of knowledge: It is not ignorance, but old patterns continuing to play out.
That more study (shravana) will solve it: What is required is assimilation (nididhyasana), not more information.
That enlightenment erases emotions: Emotions continue to arise, but no longer bind when contrary notions are worn away.
Vedantic Resolution
Viparita-bhavana shows why Self-knowledge must be assimilated, not just understood. With steady practice, the contrary tendencies lose force, and the mind naturally abides in the freedom of the Self.
