abhijñānaṃ1 Recognition; tadabhijñānahetorhi dattaṃ tena mahātmanā Rām. (abhijñāna is a combination of anubhava or direct perception and smṛti or recollection; a sort of direct perception assisted by the memory; as when we say ‘this is the same man I saw yesterday’ soyaṃ hyo dṛṣṭo naraḥ, anubhava or direct perception leading to the identification expressed by ayaṃ and the memory leading to the reference to past action expressed by saḥ). 2 Remembrance, recollection; knowledge, ascertainment. 3 (a) A sign or token of recognition (person or thing); vatsayoginyasmi mālatyabhijñānaṃ ca dhārayāmi Māl. 9; Bk. 8. 118, 124; R. 12. 62; Me. 112; upapannairabhijñānairdūtaṃ tamavagacchata Rām. 4 The dark portion in the disc of the moon. Comp.—ābharaṇaṃ a recognition-ornament, a (pb) tokenring Ś. 4. —patraṃ a certificate, letter of recommendation. —śakuṃtalaṃ N. of a celebrated drama by Kālidāsa in seven acts, in which king Duṣyanta marries Kaṇva's 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 (abhijñāna) that he had duly married her; abhijñānenasmṛtā śakuṃtalā abhijñānaśakuṃtalā; tāmadhikṛtya kṛtaṃnāṭakaṃ °śakuṃtalaṃ; (the reading °śākuṃtalaṃ is grammatically indefensible).