abhijñānam1 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' so'yaṃ hyo dṛṣṭo naraḥ, anubhava or direct perception leading to the identification expressed by ayam 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); vatsa yoginyasmi mālatyabhijñānaṃ ca dhārayāmi Māl.9; Bk.8.118,124; R.12.62; Me.114; upapannerabhijñānairdūtaṃ tamavagacchata Rām. -4 The dark portion in the dise of the moon. cf. abhijñānaṃ smṛtāvapi | garve jñāne ca hiṃsāyāṃ praṇave ca samīritam Nm. -Comp. -āmaraṇam a recognition-ornament, a token-ring. abhijñānābharaṇadarśanena śāpo nivartiṣyate Ś.4. -patram a certificate, letter of recommendation. -śākuntalam N. of a celebrated 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 (abhijñāna) that he had duly married her; abhijñānena smṛtā śakuntalā abhi- jñānaśakuntalā; tāmadhikṛtya kṛtaṃ nāṭakaṃ˚ śākuntalam; (the reading ˚śākuntalam is grammatically indefensible).