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The Aparokṣānubhūti, attributed to Śaṅkarācārya, although probably written closer to the early sixteenth century, emerged as part of the growing response to the increased output of haṭhayoga texts. It incorporates a unique fifteen-part path of rājayoga—including a redefined, brahman-centric version of the aṅgas of Patañjali that similarly culminates in samādhi—into the Advaitic core of the text that ultimately leads to direct awareness of the self, as the name of the text suggests. It justifies this inclusivity through a widening of the definition of key terms, such as nididhyāsana, contemplation—considered by some of the commentaries to be synonymous with introspection (anusandhāna)—to incorporate these practices, in order to address the prārabdha (ripe) karma of ignorant people (ajñānijanabodhārthaṃ). By subverting its competing claims into its domain, this allowed for the incorporation of the dualistic system of Yoga/Sāṃkhya into nondual Advaita, which contributed to its growing appeal, and reciprocally played a big role in the success of modern yoga.
