This paper shows how Abhinavagupta interprets “pratibhā” in Utpaladeva’s Īśvarapratyabhijñākārikā, to make clear how the viewpoint of the Pratyabhijñā is reflected in his interpretation.
According to Utpaladeva’s own vṛtti, “pratibhā” is nothing but a synonym for “ābhāsa” (manifestation/appearance), and it should not be understood as “intuition” or “flash of understanding” in a technical sense, but as “light” or “appearance.” For Abhinavagupta, it connotes the self to which objects appear. The upasarga “prati” implies that it is to the self that objects appear. Thus, for him, “pratibhā” means “appearance to the self.”
Interestingly, Utpaladeva does not explicitly refer to this interpretation even in the vivṛti, of which fragments have been discovered recently. However, this does not mean that it is original to Abhinavagupta. His interpretation reflects the viewpoint of the Pratyabhijñā that appearances and objects never exist independently from the self.
