Sakti (Sanskrit) [from the verbal root sak to be powerful, energetic, have force]

Universal energy, the feminine aspect of fohat; one of the seven forces of nature, of which six are manifest and the seventh partly manifest. It is energy that proceeds through itself, not being due to the active or conscious will of the one that produces it. Popularly, the wives or consorts of the gods -- the energies or active powers of these deities represented as feminine influences.

"These anthropomorphic definitions are unfortunate, because misleading. The Saktis of Nature are really the veils, or sheaths, or vehicular carriers, through which work the inner and ever-active energies. As substance and energy, or force and matter, are fundamentally one, . . . it becomes apparent that even these Saktis, or sheaths, or veils, are themselves energic to lower spheres or realms through which they themselves work.

"The crown of the astral light, as H. P. Blavatsky puts it, is the generalized Sakti of Universal Nature in so far as our solar system is concerned" (OG 150).

Sakti in another sense is soul-power, the mental-psychic energy of the god as of the adept. In the Mahabharata, Draupadi, the wife or sakti of the five Pandava brothers, represents a spiritual power they all possessed in common. In legends and tales of the ancient peoples, the wives of the great heroes mystically represent the aggregate of the saktis or spiritual powers that the heroes had individually attained.

Considering the saktis as more or less conscious forces in nature, gives a picture of not only the turbulent and ever-active movements in the lower planes of nature, but likewise the calm and stately measures of spiritual activity. It is common in the West to associate power, activity, energy, and force with masculine correlations; but this is quite arbitrary, and an impassionate viewing of nature will show it to be continuously moved by vehicular as well as inspiriting causes.

Cosmically sakti or the saktis originate in the summit of the astral light or akasa, which in one sense may be considered as not only the womb of the cosmic saktis, but as their playground and in another sense as the saktis collectively themselves. In man, sakti is the buddhi in its higher aspect, and the activities of the various pranas in the human constitution in its lower aspect. There is no essential distinction between any divinity and its consort, between Brahman and pradhana, Brahma and prakriti, or between parabrahman and mulaprakriti. Furthermore, all the saktis are either conscious entities in nature, or vital effluxes or emanations, cosmic fluids, with which nature is infused throughout.

The reason the occultist of all ages looks askance at the tantric practices, or the Tantras dealing largely with the saktis, is because these tantric books and practices are almost wholly occupied in relations and correlations both in nature and in man of the saktis in their lower aspect. The kundalini, for instance, is likewise born in the buddhi in man, but descending through the human constitution has its pranic or psychovital physical representations in the various chakras or vital centers of the human frame, and thus the kundalini is an example of sakti or of its fluidic effluxes in the lower portions of the human constitution.

The early Christians looked upon the Holy Spirit as of distinctly feminine characteristics, influence, or svabhava, as the center not only of vital but of spiritual and intellectual activity, whether in the universe or man, so that the Holy Spirit corresponds to a divine sakti. A notable instance in Hinduism is the Sakti or goddess Durga, having both a lofty or spiritual, and an inferior or distinctly material, function in nature, and therefore a beneficent as well as a terrible action therein -- the very name Durga meaning "terrible in action," or "terrible in going." And yet Durga is the consort or sakti of Siva, often called the Mahesvara (Great Lord); and the name of this goddess arises from the utterly impartial, infinitely just, and yet often simply terrific action of the forces in nature, particularly when karmically directed to works of regeneration, often called destruction. Cosmic operations or cosmic justice are often indeed to human vision terrible in their operation, which can never be set aside, stayed, or diverted. Hence Durga is often represented in iconography as surrounded with a necklace of skulls or by similar ghastly emblems -- a series of ideas which the pragmatic West misinterprets and consequently depicts as horrible and revolting.

(See also: Sakti, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

pada: (Sanskrit)

1)    "A step, pace, stride; footstep, trace."

2)    "The foot (of men and animals); quarterpart, section; stage; path." Names the major sections of the Agamic texts and the corresponding stages of practice and unfoldment on the path to moksha.

According to Saiva Siddhanta, there are four padas, which are successive and cumulative; i.e. in accomplishing each one the soul prepares itself for the next. (In Tamil, Saiva Siddhanta is also known as Nalu-pada, "four-stage," Saivam.)

�      charya pada: "Good conduct stage." Stage one, learning to live righteously, serve selflessly, performing karma yoga. It is also known as dasa marga, "path of the slave," a time when the aspirant relates to God as a servant to a master. Traditional acts of charya include cleaning the temple, lighting lamps and collecting flowers for worship. Worship at this stage is mostly external.

�      kriya pada: "Religious action; worship stage." Stage of bhakti yoga, of cultivating devotion through performing puja and regular daily sadhana. It is also known as the satputra marga, "true son's way," as the soul now relates to God as a son to his father. A central practice of the kriya pada is performing daily puja.

�      yoga pada: "Stage of union." Having matured in the charya and kriya padas, the soul now turns to internalized worship and raja yoga under the guidance of a satguru. It is a time of sadhana and serious striving when realization of the Self is the goal. It is the sakha marga, "way of the friend," for now God is looked upon as an intimate friend.

�      jnana pada: "Stage of wisdom." Once the soul has attained Realization, it is henceforth a wise one, who lives out the life of the body, shedding blessings on mankind. This stage is also called the San Marga, "true path," on which God is our dearest beloved. The Tirumantiram describes the fulfillment of each stage as follows. In charya, the soul forges a kindred tie in "God's world" (salokya). In kriya it attains "nearness" (samipya) to Him. In yoga it attains "likeness" (sarupya) with Him. In jnana the soul enjoys the ultimate bliss of identity (sayujya) with Siva.

See: pada, jnana, nirvani and upadeshi.

(See also: Pada, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

panchachara: (Sanskrit) "Five rules." The five Vira Saivite codes of conduct.

-       Lingachara: Daily worship of the Sivalinga.

-       sadachara: attention to vocation and duty.

-       Sivachara: Acknowledging Siva as the one God and observing equality among members.

-       bhrityachara: Humility toward all creatures.

-       ganachara: defense of the community and its tenets.

(See also: Panchachara, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Pancharatra: (Sanskrit) An ancient name of Vaishnavism. The term literally means "five nights," but may be a corruption of pancharatha ("five vehicles, ways or paths"), thought to indicate five ancient sects in the vicinity of Mathura that eventually merged into one with the worship of Krishna.

(See also: Pancharatra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Panchatantra: (Sanskrit) The collection of animal stories used by sage Vishnu Sharma to teach the king's sons the "art of practical life." They were written down in Sanskrit in about 200 bce, but existed previously as part of oral tradition. The engaging stories have migrated all over the world to reappear in Aesop's Fables, Arabian Nights, Canterbury Tales and in ancient Chinese and Japanese works.

See: folk-narratives, mythology.

(See also: Panchatantra, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

panentheism: "All-in-God doctrine."

The view that the universe is part of the being of God, as distinguished from pantheism ("all-is-God doctrine"), which identifies God with the total reality. In contrast, panentheism holds that God pervades the world, but is also beyond it. He is immanent and transcendent, relative and Absolute. This embracing of opposites is called dipolar. For the panentheist, God is in all, and all is in God. Panentheism is the technical term for monistic theism.

See: Advaita Ishvaravada, dvaita-advaita, monistic theism, pantheism.

(See also: Panentheism, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

pantheism: "All-is-God doctrine."

A term applied to a variety of philosophical position in which God and the world are identical. To the pantheist, God is not a Personal Lord, nor a transcendent or formless Being, but is the totality of all existence, including universal laws, movement, matter, etc.

See: monistic theism, panentheism.

(See also: Pantheism, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

papa: (Sanskrit) "Wickedness; sin, crime."

1)    Bad or evil.

2)    Wrongful action.

3)    Demerit earned through wrongdoing.

Papa includes all forms of wrongdoing, from the simplest infraction to the most heinous crime, such as premeditated murder. Each act of papa carries its karmic consequence, karmaphala, "fruit of action," for which scriptures delineate specific penance for expiation.

Those who have awakened psychic sight can clearly see papa in the inner subconscious aura as a colorful, sticky, astral substance. Papa is seen as dark unrelated colors, whereas its counterpart, punya, is seen as pastels. The color arrangements are not unlike modern art murals. Papa colors can produce disease, depression, loneliness and such, but can be dissolved through penance (prayashchitta), austerity (tapas) and good deeds (sukritya).

There are specific consequences, karmaphala, "fruit of action," that result from each type of transgression of dharma. For example, a man who steals from his neighbors creates a cosmic debt which may be repaid later by having his own possessions taken away.

There are also specific penances, prayashchitta, that can be performed for atonement and the accrual of punya (merit) to balance out the papa, the negative karma of the wrongful act. Such disciplines are provided in the various Dharma Shastras and prescribed by knowing preceptors, panditas, shastris, swamis, yogis and village elders according to the varna and education of the individual. For example, the Laws of Manu give several types of penance for the crime of murder, including

1)    making a forest hut and subsisting there on alms for twelve years and using a human skull as one's emblem; or

2)    walking 100 yojanas (900 miles), while reciting the Vedas, eating little and remaining continent.

A contemporary example: if a man fells a large healthy tree, he may atone by planting ten trees and ensuring that at least one grows to replace it. The degree of papa accrued from an action depends on various factors, including the karma, dharma and spiritual advancement of the individual, the intent or motivation, as well as the time and place of the action (for example, unvirtuous deeds carry great demerit when performed in holy places). Papa is the opposite of punya (merit, virtue).

See: evil, karma, penance, punya, sin.

(See also: Papa, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

papman: (Sanskrit) "Evil; sin."

See: evil, papa, Satan, sin.

(See also: Papman, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

para: (Sanskrit) "Supreme; beyond."

A term referring to the highest dimension of whatever it precedes - as in Parasiva or Parabrahman. (Sometimes para, as in Parashakti.)

(See also: Para, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

parable: A short, simple story illustrating a moral or religious principle.

(See also: Parable, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Parabrahman: (Sanskrit) "Supreme (or transcendent) God."

A synonym for Nirguna Brahman, Absolute Reality, beyond time, form and space. Same as Parasiva.

See: Brahman, Parasiva.

(See also: Parabrahman, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

padapuja: (Sanskrit) "Foot worship."

Ceremonial worship of the guru's sandals or holy feet, often through ablution with precious substances and offering of fruit and flowers. After the ceremony, the water of the bath, the fruit and other precious substances are partaken of as prasada by the devotees.

See: guru, guru bhakti, paduka, prasada, uc�hishta.

(See also: Padapuja, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

paddhati: (Sanskrit) "Foot-path; track; guide."

The name of a class of expository writings, e.g., Gorakshanatha's Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, and the many paddhatis that are guidebooks for ritual temple rites. There are paddhatis for the Vedas and for the Agamas.

(See also: Paddhati, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

padartha: (Sanskrit) "Constituent substance."

Primary categories or essential elements of existence, defined differently or uniquely by each philosophical school. For example, in the Sankhya Darshana, the padarthas are purusha (spirit) and prakriti (matter). According to Advaita Vedanta, they are chit (spirit) and achit (nonspirit), which from an absolute perspective are taken as the One padartha, Brahman. In Shakta and Saiva traditions, the padarthas are Pati (God), pashu (soul) and pasha (world, or bonds).

(See also: Padartha, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

padma: (Sanskrit) The lotus flower, Nelumbo nucifera, symbol of spiritual development and the chakras. Because it grows out of mud and rises to perfect purity and glory, it is an apt representation of spiritual unfoldment.

(See also: Padma, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

paduka: (Sanskrit) "Sandals."

Sri Paduka refers to the sandals of the preceptor, the traditional icon of the guru, representing his venerable feet and worshiped as the source of grace. Paduka also names one of Vira Saivism's eight aids (ashtavarana) to faith - the practice of drinking the water from the ceremonial washing of the Sivalinga or the guru's feet.

See: guru bhakti, padapuja, prasada, satguru, uc�hishta.

(See also: Paduka, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

pagan: Term used negatively by Semitic faiths to indicate a follower of another religion, or of no religion. Also names the pre-Christian religion of Europe, akin to shamanism and other of the world's indigenous faiths, which have survived to this day despite organized persecution. Pagans are gradually surfacing again, and have acknowledged their kinship with Hinduism.

See: mysticism, shamanism, pagan, paganism.

(See also: Pagan, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

pageantry: A spectacular and grand representation, elaborately decorated show, procession, drama, etc.

See: festival.

(See also: Pageantry, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)