My Hindu Page Glossary - P

Padmasana, Pallava Dynasty, Pandava, Pandiyan, Parabrahman, Paramatma, Parameshwara,Lord, Parashakti,  Parvathi, Goddess, Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Penance, Perfections, Periya Puranam, Personal Lord/God,  Peruman, Pervading, Petals of Chakras, Physical Body, Polytheistic, Prabandham, Pradakshina, Prana, Prasadam, Prayaschittam, Puja, Pure Consciousness, Pure Light, Pure Love, Pure Sound, Purified Intellect, Purusharthas, Pusalar

Padmasana: “The lotus pose.” One of the poses of Hatha Yoga that is highly recommended for the practice of meditation. It is sitting cross-legged with the right foot placed on the left tigh and the left foot on the right tigh. It takes practice to be able to sit in this way. It is best to learn to sit in padmasana under the guidance of a Hatha Yoga teacher.

Pallava Dynasty: One of the ancient Tamil royal lineages. Their Kingdom covered a big part of present day Tamilnadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh of South India. They were avid temple builders. The capital of the Pallavas, Kanchipuram that is near Chennai is well known for it’s magnificent Pallava style temples. The temple complexes at Mahabalipuram, also near Chennai, is a tourist attraction that was built by the Pallavas about 2,000 years ago.

Pandava: In the epic Mahabharata, the Pandavas are the heroes. They are six brothers–Yudishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva and Karna. The Pandavas (except for Karna) are allied to Lord Krishna. They fight their cousins the Kauravas in the epic battle of the Mahabharata at the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Pandiyan: The name of one of the ancient empires of Tamilnadu. Their capital was the city of Madurai. The Pandiyans were known for developing Tamil language and culture.

Parabrahman:The Third and Ultimate Aspect of God. Parabrahman is God as theTranscendent being beyond all limits of Creation. Parabrahman cannot beadequately described in anyway, however Parabrahman can be experiencedexclusively through the meditative state of nirvikalpa samadhi. Thisrequires mastery of meditation to a high degree that can be achievedwith the careful guidance of and enlightened guru. After attaining theexperience of Parabrahman the devotees begins the process of becomingenlightened. By practicing the attainment of Parabrahman over and overagain, the devotee will eventually become fully enlightened. When thisstate is achieved the devotee will have achieved moksha while stillliving on earth and becomes a guru to others. Parabrahman is theultimate spiritual experience to be had in the path of spiritualevolution on earth.

Paramatma: The Uncreated Primal Soul, First Soul or Original Soul. This is God in His or Her first of Three Aspects. As Paramatma God is the Creator, Preserver, Destroyer, Revealer of Grace and Obscurer of Grace. Paramatma can take on any form He or She pleases. Paramatma will appear to a devotee in the form of God the devotee is most accustomed with. Paramatma is also the Personal Lord, as he listens to prayers and fulfills them and guides devotees toward spiritual enlightenment.

Parameshwara, Lord: Para-Ishwara. The Great Lord. Parameshwara is a name of God that is often referred to in the Vedas as just Ishwara. Ishwara is synonymous in the Vedas with Brahman. Both names of God is used to refer to God in his entirety, that includes all The Three Aspects. In Saivite Scriptures such as the Saiva Agamas, Parameshwara refers to Lord Nataraja, the Primal Soul.

Parashakti: The Great Power, or The Ultimate Power. God in the Second Aspect is Parashakti. Parashakti can be described as Pure Consciousness, Pure Love and Pure Intelligence. Parashakti is also Sat-Chit-Ananda, or Truth-Consciousness-Bliss. As Parashakti God takes on amorphous forms such as Divine Light, Blissful expansive inner space, the feelings of spiritual bliss and peace among other universal forms. Parashakti is mainly experienced through the meditative state of savikalpa samadhi. A devotee can also experience Parashakti through spiritual ecstasy one can attain through sincere worship, performing selfless service, while deeply engaged in artistic or scientific endeavours or when enjoying the beauty of nature.

Parvathi, Goddess: The consort of Lord Shiva, She is also worshipped in the form of Mariamman and Shakti. She is the Supreme Godhead of followers of the Shakta sect. According to the Shakta philosophy, Lord Shiva is the silent formless form of God. Whereas Goddess Shakti or Parvathi, Who is equal to and inseparable from Lord Shiva is the manifest energy or the active form of God. Shaktas worship three main forms of Goddess Parvathi. They are Saraswathi, the Goddess of knowledge, arts and culture; Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and abundance; and Durga, the Destroyer of sins and the Protector.

Patanjali Yoga Sutras: A renowned Hindu Scripture written about 2,000 years ago. It is a treatise on the path to God Realization written by sage Patanjali of ancient lore. His erudite work comprises of terse aphorisms on ashtanga yoga. In the Scripture, Patanjali intricately details the processes of meditation until samadhi. He also describes challenges a meditator will face and methods to overcome them. His work is a popular study of mysticism among yogis and psychologists. It has been translated into many languages. See also Ashtanga Yoga.

Penance: The deliberate act of performing spiritual disciplines that cause hardship on oneself. These disciplines include fasting, carrying kavadi, prostrating before God 108 times and so forth. The reason for doing penance is to beseech God’s Grace to help rid bad karmas that we may be facing or that we may face in the future. Gurus explain that God absorbs the effort we put out and devotion we express during the penance, and uses it to dissolve or reduce the impact of bad karmas.

Perfections: A word coined by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami to describe the different Aspects of God. By understanding God as the three Perfections, all the different experiences of God a devotee may have can be explained.  (Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami: An American born Hindu spiritual leader (1927-2001). Affectionately know by his disciples as Gurudeva, he was recognized as a Jagadaacharya, or world teacher by the World Hindu Federation, for his outstanding missionary work in promoting, preserving and protecting Hinduism globally. Gurudeva was an enlightened spiritual master who taught his devotees the path to Self Realization. He was the founder of Kauai Aadheenam, a monastery and temple complex on the Hawaian Island of Kauai. He was also the founder and publisher of the global Hindu magazine, Hinduism Today. For more information on Gurudeva and his publications visit the following website: www.gurudeva.org)

Periya Puranam: A Tamil Scripture written by the nayanar, Saint Sekkilar. It is a biography of the nayanars.

Personal Lord / God: God as a person with who a devotee can communicate with through prayer. God is also able to respond to the devotee as the Personal Lord through a variety of ways such as appearing to the devotee in a vision, appearing as an apparition, materializing as a person on earth or by indirect means such as by giving signs or providing brilliant ideas to the devotees in disguised ways. God as the Personal Lord is an attribute of the First Aspect of God, Paramatma and is a dualistic experience of God.

Peruman: In Tamil, this is an honourific title given to God or the Mahadevas. It means “great person.”

Pervading: Exisiting everywhere and in everything. (All-Pervasive: The quality of being present everywhere and through all things and beings. One of the divine qualities of God, Who is simultaneously present in the entire universe).

Petals of chakras: Each spiritual chakra in the body has nadi appendages that radiate out of its center, allegorically known as its petals. These petals are related to the nerve ganglias of the spinal cord and the brain. Every chakra in the body of man begins as if a bud. With each life lived and accrued spiritual evolution, chakras unfold, very similar to how a bud unfolds into a flower. As the chakras unfold, appendages that enhance the mental and spiritual capabilities of a person are realized. As each chakra controls different domains of the body, mind and soul different abilities unfold with the spiritual development of the chakras. Unfolding chakras, especially the ones from the heart center and up, bring about experiences of God Realization and also psychic ablilities. While the unfoldment of the chakras lower than the heart center confer more practical abilities of the mind and body such as enhanced concentration, confidence and robust health. See also nadi.

Physical Body: The physical body is the soul's vehicle on earth. This body is created from the food that we consume. Thus the sanskrit name, annamayakosha. Anna means food, maya is creation and kosha is body. Our physical body functions through the perception of the five senses ( sight, hearing, taste, smell and feel or touch ) and physiological processes. The basic nature of the physical body is that of survival instincts. Without guidance or control over this body, baser impulses of fear, anger, domination, jealousy and hatred can be its ruling forces. However these latent impulses in the physical body when properly guided by wisdom create great will to do what is righteous and noble.

Polytheistic: The belief in many Supreme Godheads. Many Western scholars mistakenly describe Hinduism as a polytheistic religion when it is actually monotheistic, that is believing in one Supreme Godhead.

Prabhandam: Short for Divya Prabhandam. It is a Scripture that is a compilation of the poetic works of the 12 Tamil Vaishnavite saints, the aalvars. Their writings were compiled into the Divya Prabhandam by the scholar and saint, Sri Nathamuni. See aalvar.

Pradakshina: The practice of circumambulating in the Hindu temple. See circumambulation.  (Circumambulation: Meaning to go around. In a Hindu temple it refers to the practice of walking around the temple’s main sanctum a few times on a designated path. It is done before entering the temple’s sanctum for worship. The practice serves as a walking meditation to help concentrate the mind on God. Pradakshina in Sanskrit).

Prana: Vital-energy. Prana is a kind of electromagnetic energy that is generated and used by all beings–animate and inanimate. Pranic energy is important for the vitality of our body and  the emotional state of our mind. Pranic energy can be accumulated by the body and mind through food, the environment and activities such as exercise and prayers. Prana can have positive or negative qualities. Positive prana creates a healthy shield for the body by increasing immunity against disease. Positive prana also inspires positive emotions and creates a general feeling of well-being. We gain positive prana by eating fresh (and non-chemical processed) food, especially fruits and salads, drinking clean fresh water, breathing fresh unpolluted air and exercising (especially outdoors). Negative prana does the opposite for the body and mind, creating depressive feelings, bad temper and weak body constitution. Negative prana is accumulated by eating junk foods, unfresh or dead foods, living in polluted environments and negative emotions. The main function of hatha yoga is to generate positive prana and transmute negative prana to positive prana.

Prasadam: Blessed sacrements given to devotees after a puja ceremony. These sacrements include vibhuti (holy ash), chandanam (sandalwood paste), kungkumum (red powder), teertham (blessed water), food and flowers that were presented to the deity duirng the puja. 

Prayaschittam: Tamil word for penance. Prayaschitta in Sanskrit.  (Penance: The deliberate act of performing spiritual disciplines that cause hardship on oneself. These disciplines include fasting, carrying kavadi, prostrating before God 108 times and so forth. The reason for doing penance is to beseech God’s Grace to help rid bad karmas that we may be facing or that we may face in the future. Gurus explain that God absorbs the effort we put out and devotion we express during the penance, and uses it to dissolve or reduce the impact of bad karmas).

Puja: Puja means adoration. It is also the name of the ceremonial worship performed for the deity in the temple or home shrine. The procedures of the puja ceremony are drawn from the Agamic Scriptures. They procedures contain instructions for the formats of different types of pujas, chanting rules, mystical visualizations and usage of puja implements. The high points of a puja occur whenever the bell is rung duriing the showing of oil and camphor flames, during the ceremonial bathing–abhishegam–of the deity, the unveiling of the dressing and decorations on the deity–alankaram, and the final showing of the camphor flame–aarati. There are two main types of puja. The first is the atmartha puja, which is the puja that is prescribed as a devotee's personal worship ritual; it is usually performed in the home shrine. The second is the more elaborate Parartha Puja, which is performed in temples or by temple priests in public functions; this puja is done for the benefit of the worshipping devotees.

Pure Consciousness: The Consciousness of God, or God's Mind. It is a description of God that refers to Parashakti, the Second Aspect of God. Pure Consciousness is the substratum or the most essential nature of all the elements in Creation, even space. The experience of Pure Consciousness through savikalpa samadhi in meditation is  the experience of the force of God–Parashakti, thus Pure Energy is sometimes used as a synonym of Pure Consciousness.

Pure Light: Pure Light is a description of God as Parashakti; God's Second Aspect. The light in this context refers to the 'light of wisdom' as opposed to the 'darkness of ignorance'. However, this light is not merely a symbol of God's Omniscience or wisdom, it is also the inspiring mystical light that is seen by meditators when they attain Parashakti in the state of savikalpa samadhi. When this state is attained, the meditator's mind is literally lit up by the bright white light of Parashakti, even if he or she is meditating with eyes closed in a lightless room. Pure Light is synonymous with Divine Light, The Light of Intelligence and God's Omniscience. They all refer to God's All-Knowing Intelligence.

Pure Love: The condition of love that is God. It is one of the the descriptions for the Second Aspect of God, Parashakti.  As Parashakti, God is the feeling of love itself. The word Pure with love indicates that it is of God and is universal, unbounded, inclusive of all, equal to all and non-judgmental. The experience of Pure Love through the meditative state of savikalpa samadhi include the feeling of expansive spiritual bliss and peace (ananda).

Pure Sound: It refers to one of the forms of Parashakti, the Second Aspect of God. Pure Sound is the impulse of all creation. It is the most primordial form of energy that was issued from God at the beginning of creation. It is the precursor to energy as heat and light and gradually the elements. It is described in mystical texts as sound because it is a causal vibration and is sometimes called the soundless sound as it cannot be heard by the physical ears. This vibration is the mantra Aum.

Purified Intellect: Buddhi in Sanskrit. It is the condition of the intellect that has matured in wisdom. Its thoughts are in line with moral principles and its beliefs are qualified with real experiences instead of blindly following opinions of others.

Purusharthas: The four legitimate goals of life. They are: 1) Dharma–The pursuit of a virtuous and noble life. 2) Artha–The pursuit of wealth by honest means. 3) Kama–The pursuit of happiness and pleasures in life. 4) Moksha–The pursuit of God Realization and spiritual liberation.

Pusalar: One of the 63 nayanars. His story is often used to teach devotees about the greatness of internal worship.  (Nayanar: “Teacher.” The honourific title given to the 63 Tamil saints of South India. These 63 saints were worshippers of God Shiva. They are recognized as saints for their outstanding and examplary lives of devotion to God. Their devotional literature are part of the Tamil Saivite scriptures called Tirumurai. Their works include the Tirumantiram, Tiruvasakam and Thevaram devotional hymns. Other nayanars who did not contribute any written works left behind their life story of examplary devotion to God Shiva, such as Saint Pusalar).