Atindriya, literally, is the perception which is extra sensory or beyond senses. In Hinduism, Atindriya is also one of the names of Bhagavan Vishnu. The word has different meanings – beyond the cognition of the senses; principally inherent; purusha; prakriti; the supreme spirit or intellect and the sixth sense.
The concepts of God, dharma, and different philosophical
tenets have all crucially involved the concept of atindriya, which has been
present since the beginning of mankind. The concept of atindriya is also present
in various forms of shakti puja (worship of primeval energy). Life is
incomplete without this concept of atindriya. It is causal and not natural. It
is the root cause for the origin of different types of faith. The existence of
atindriya-matter can neither be denied nor proved by material examples.
According to Nyaya-Vaisheshika, the existence of a pot
reminds us of a potter. Extending the same logic, the existence of the world
must remind us of a creator who is atindriya (not recognizable by senses).
The practice of righteousness requires the knowledge of
atindriya. Peace of mind and wholeness in life can be achieved only when this
concept is understood and put into practice. The meaning of atindriya is
discussed at length in the Bhashyas of Brahma Sutras of Badarayana.
Anything beyond perception (self, God and dharma) is the
subject-matter of atindriya, as it cannot be touched, weighed, measured, seen or
heard.