Glossary of Terms

P

Pāda:

See Cakṣus/Pāda.

Pañcakośa:

The five classical sheaths.  See Kośa.

Pañcama:

1) Fifth.

2) The fifth, or divine, state (daiva avasthā), corresponding to bliss (ānanda).  See Avasthā.

Pañcāṅga:

Five limbs.  The outer limbs (bahiraṅgas).  See Aṣṭāṅga.

Pañcataya:

Fivefold.

Pāṇḍava:

Relating to or belonging to the Pāṇḍus.

Pāṇi:

See Tvac/Pāṇi.

Pāpa:

Inauspicious, as opposed to auspicious (puṇya).  See Kliṣṭa Vṛtti.

Parabrahman:

Supreme source.  See Nirguṇa Brahman.

Parama:

Supreme, highest.

Paramārthatas:

In reality, in truth.

Pāramārthika Satya:

The absolute reality, which is nonexistence (asat).  See Satya.

Paramātman:

Supreme self.  See Ātman.

Parampara:

Successive, one after the other.

Paridṛṣṭa:

Directed, overseen.

Pariṇāma:

Actual change, as opposed to apparent change (vivarta).

Pariṇāmavāda:

The doctrine of actual change, as opposed to the doctrine of apparent change (vivartavāda).  The corollary of the doctrine of preexistence (satkāryavāda) in Dvaita Sāṃkhya.  See Satkāryavāda.

Parinirvāṇa:

Beyond cessation.  See Kaivalya.

Parivṛta:

Encircled.

Patha:

1) Path, way.

2) One of four dimensions (catuṣpatha).  The unqualified source (nirguṇa brahman) is nondimensional.  Within it, the threefold source (triguṇa brahman) is the nonlocal dimension (alaukika patha).  It’s nondirectional.  And within it, the sevenfold source (saptaguṇa brahman) is the three local dimensions (laukika pathas).  They’re the six directions (dikṣaṭka).  See Guṇavāda.

Pauruṣa:

Belonging to spirit (puruṣa).  Spiritual, as opposed to material (prākṛta).  See Puruṣa.

Pauruṣa Traya:

The spiritual triad, as opposed to the material triad (prākṛta traya).  Symbolized by the upward facing triangle of the six-pointed star (ṣaṭkoṇa).  See Guṇavāda.

Pāyu:

See Ghrāṇa/Pāyu.

Pradhāna:

First, primary, major, as opposed to minor (apradhāna).

Pradhāna Traya:

The major triad, as opposed to the minor heptad (apradhāna saptaka).  See Triguṇa Brahman.

Prādhānika:

Primary, as opposed to secondary (aprādhānika).

Prādhānika Satya:

The primary reality, which is potential existence (syāt).  See Satya.

Pragrahaṇa:

Taking hold of, reining in, restraining.

Prakāśa:

Clearness, brightness, light.

Prākṛta:

Belonging to nature (prakṛti).  Material, as opposed to spiritual (pauruṣa).  See Prakṛti.

Prākṛta Traya:

The material triad, as opposed to the spiritual triad (pauruṣa traya).  Symbolized by the downward facing triangle of the six-pointed star (ṣaṭkoṇa).  See Guṇavāda.

Prakṛti:

Nature, as opposed to spirit (puruṣa).  The abode of ignorance (āśaya of avidyā).  Primordial matter.  The material cause (upādānakāraṇa).  The field (kṣetra).  The second of the ten strings (daśaguṇa).  See Guṇa.

Pralaya:

Reabsorption.  See Dhārmasarpiṇī.

Pramā:

Basis, measure.

Pramāṇa:

Proof, right perception.  The three kinds (trividha) being direct perception, inference, and testimony (pratyakṣa, anumāna, and śabda).  Direct perception born of union (yogaja pratyakṣa) is primary (prādhānika).  It consists of the knower, the known, and the knowledge (jñā, jñeya, and jñāna).  They’re the agent, the object, and the action of direct perception (tripuṭī of pratyakṣa).  Direct perception born of the senses (indriyaja pratyakṣa) is secondary (aprādhānika).  It’s the apprehension of objects (adhyavasāya of viṣayas) by the senses (indriyas).  The three kinds (trividha) of inference are a priori, a posteriori, and generally seen (pūrvavat, śeṣavat, and sāmānyatodṛṣṭa).  A priori inference is drawing conclusions before observation.  A posteriori inference is drawing conclusions after observation.  Generally seen inference is drawing general conclusions from particulars.  In other words, it’s generalization.  Inference is preceded by (pūrvaka) the middle term and the major term (liṅga and liṅgin).  In the following syllogism, fire is the major term and smoke is the middle term.  “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.  The mountain is smoky.  Therefore, the mountain is on fire.”  Testimony includes revelation, remembrance, and aphorisms (śruti, smṛti, and sūtras).  In this case, revelation refers to the Upaniṣads.  Remembrance refers to the Bhagavad Gītā.  And aphorisms refer to the Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras and the Advaita Yoga Sūtras.  But they only pertain to this particular tradition.  Part of spiritual maturity is studying other serious traditions and using our own discernment (viveka).

Prameya:

1) Measurable, finite.

2) Verifiable, demonstrable, provable.

Prāṇa:

1) Breath, vitality, energy.

2) See below.

3) Upward breath, or energy, as opposed to downward (apāna).

Prāṇamayakośa:

The vital, or energy, sheath.  The first principle (tattva) of physics (tamas) and the seventh of the seven sheaths (saptakośa).  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the gross body (sthūlaśarīra) and action yoga (karmayoga).  See Kośa.

Praṇava:

See Om.

Prāṇāyāma:

The practice of breath control, or energy extension.  The fourth of the eight limbs (aṣṭāṅga).  The three activities (vṛtti traya) of energy extension are internal, external, and pause (ābhyantara, bāhya, and stambha).  The fourth (caturtha) is offering (juhvāna) the upward inhalation to the downward exhalation (prāṇa to apāna) and the downward exhalation to the upward inhalation.  See Aṣṭāṅga.

Prāpta:

Attained, reached, arrived at.

Prārabdha:

Commenced, undertaken, begun, as opposed to accumulated (saṃcita).  Synonymous with active (udaraṇa).  See Kālavāda.

Praśvāsa:

Exhalation, as opposed to inhalation (śvāsa).  See Bāhya.

Prathama:

1) First.

2) The first, or non-dual state (advaita avasthā), corresponding to spirit (puruṣa).  See Avasthā.

Pratirūpakāraṇa:

Of the four causes (catuṣkāraṇa), this is the formal cause or pattern.  For example, the formal cause of a clay pot is its design.  The original formal cause being spirit (puruṣa).  See Kāraṇa.

Pratisaṃcara:

Involution, as opposed to evolution (saṃcara).  See Utsarpiṇī.

Pratītya:

Dependent.

Pratītyasamutpāda:

The Buddhist theory of dependent origination.

Pratiyogin:

Dependent.

Pratyāhāra:

The practice of withdrawal.  The dissociation of the senses (indriyas) from their objects.  The fifth of the eight limbs (aṣṭāṅga).  See Aṣṭāṅga.

Pratyakcetana:

Inner consciousness.

Pratyakṣa:

Direct perception.  See Pramāṇa.

Pratyāvartana:

Recursion.  See Guṇavāda.

Pratyekam:

Each.

Pravṛtti:

Spinning without, as opposed to spinning within (nivṛtti).  Turning toward worldliness.  See Kālavāda.

Prayatna:

Effort, exertion, activity.

Pṛthvī:

Earth.  The tenth principle (tattva) of physics (tamas) and the seventh gross element (mahābhūta).  Resonates with the sense (indriya) of smelling/eliminating (ghrāṇa/pāyu) and the subtle element (tanmātra) of odor (gandha).  See Mahābhūta.

Punar:

Again, once more.

Punarāvartin:

Recurring, recursive.  See Pratyāvartana.

Puṇya:

Auspicious, as opposed to inauspicious (pāpa).  See Akliṣṭa Vṛtti.

Pūrṇa:

1) Completed, fulfilled, accomplished.

2) Full, as opposed to empty (śūnya).

Pūrṇatā:

Fullness, as opposed to emptiness (śūnyatā).

Puruṣa:

Spirit, as opposed to nature (prakṛti).  The formal cause (pratirūpakāraṇa).  The knower of the field (kṣetrajñā).  The first of the ten strings (daśaguṇa).  See Guṇa.

Pūrva:

Previous, preceding, first, as opposed to subsequent (uttara).

Pūrvaka:

Preceded by.

Pūrvāsti:

Preexists.

Pūrvavat:

A priori, as opposed to a posteriori (śeṣavat).  See Pramāṇa.