Parameshvara: (Sanskrit) "Supreme Lord or Ruler." God Siva in the third perfection as Supreme Mahadeva, Siva- Shakti, mother of the universe. In this perfection as Personal, father-mother God, Siva is a person - who has a body, with head, arms and legs, etc. - who acts, wills, blesses, gives darshana, guides, creates, preserves, reabsorbs, obscures and enlightens. In Truth, it is Siva- Shakti who does all. The term Primal Soul, Paramapurusha, designates Parameshvara as the original, uncreated soul, the creator of all other souls. Parameshvara has many other names and epithets, including those denoting the five divine actions - Sadasiva, the revealer; Maheshvara, the obscurer; Brahma, the creator; Vishnu the preserver; and Rudra the destroyer.

See: Nataraja, Sadasiva.

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

paramaguru: (Sanskrit) "Senior preceptor."

The guru of a disciple's guru.

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

pranatyaga: (Sanskrit) "Abandoning life force."

A term for suicide but without the connotation of violence expressed in the more common terms svadehaghata, "murdering one's body," and atmaghata, "self-murder."

See: death, suicide.

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

Paramatman: (Sanskrit) "Supreme Self," or "transcendent soul." Parasiva, Absolute Reality, the one transcendent Self of every soul. Contrasted with atman, which includes all three aspects of the soul: Parasiva, Parashakti and anandamaya kosha.

See: atman, kosha, soul.

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

pradosha: (Sanskrit) The auspicious 3-hour period, 1H hours before and after sunset. Pradosha especially refers to this period on the 13th (trayodashi) tithi of each fortnight, an optimum time of the month for meditation. Its observance, prepared for by fasting, is called pradosha vrata.

See: fast, tithi.

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

pragmatic: Practical. Concerned with application, not theory or speculation.

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

sadhaka: (Sanskrit) From sadh, "going straight to the goal."

A spiritual aspirant; a devotee who performs sadhana. A serious seeker who has undertaken spiritual disciplines, is usually celibate and under the guidance of a guru. He wears white and may be under simple vows, but is not a yogi or sannyasin.

See: sadhana.

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

prayojaka: (Sanskrit) "Facilitator; employer; manager."

A person who instigates, promotes. Also a name for a coordinator of religious outreach activities and literature distribution.

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

prayashchitta: (Sanskrit) "Predominant thought or aim." Penance. Acts of atonement.

See: penance, papa, punya.

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

pratyahara: (Sanskrit) "Withdrawal." The drawing in of forces. In yoga, the withdrawal from external consciousness. (Also a synonym for pralaya.)

See: raja yoga, mahapralaya, meditation.

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

Pratyabhijna Sutra (Sutras): (Sanskrit) A foundational Kashmir Saiva scripture, 190 sutras.

(See also: Pratyabhijna Sutra , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

prayopavesha: (Sanskrit) "Resolving to die through fasting."

Self-willed death by fasting.

See: death, suicide.

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

Sadasiva: (Sanskrit) "Ever-auspicious."

A name of the Primal Soul, Siva, a synonym for Parameshvara, which is expressed in the physical being of the satguru. Sadasiva especially denotes the power of revealing grace, anugraha shakti, the third tattva, after which emerge Siva's other four divine powers.

This five-fold manifestation or expression of God's activity in the cosmos is depicted in Hindu mantras, literature and art as the five-faced Sadasivamurti.

• Looking upward is Ishana, "ruler" (the power of revealment).
• Facing east is Tatpurusha, "supreme soul" (the power of obscuration).
• Westwardlooking is Sadyojata, "quickly birthing" (the power of creation).
• Northward is Vamadeva, "lovely, pleasing" (the power of preservation).
• Southward is Aghora, "nonterrifying" (the power of reabsorption).

The first four faces revealed the Vedas. The fifth face, Ishana, revealed the Agamas. These five are also called Sadasiva, the revealer; Maheshvara, the obscurer; Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Rudra, the destroyer.

See: Parameshvara, tattva.

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

Premaiva Sivamaya, Satyam eva Parasivah: (Sanskrit) "God Siva is immanent love and transcendent Reality."

A Saivite Hindu affirmation of faith.

See: affirmation.

(See also: Premaiva Sivamaya , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

precursor: Forerunner. A person or thing that goes before.

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

precinct: An enclosed or delimited area. Also the grounds surrounding a religious edifice.

(See also: Precinct , 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)

Pratyabhijna Darshana: (Sanskrit) The philosophical name for Kashmir Saivism.

(See also: Pratyabhijna Darshana , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Pratyabhijna: (Sanskrit) "Recognition or recollection," from "knowledge" (jnana) which "faces" (abhi) the knower and toward which he eventually "turns" (prati).

A concept of Kashmir Saivism which denotes the devotee's recognition, as a result of the guru's grace, of the Truth that ever was - that Siva is indeed everywhere, and the soul is already united with Him.

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

prapatti: (Sanskrit) "Throwing oneself down."

Bhakti - total, unconditional submission to God, often coupled with the attitude of personal helplessness, self-effacement and resignation. A term especially used in Vaishnavism to name a concept extremely central to virtually all Hindu schools. In Saiva Siddhanta, bhakti is all important in the development of the soul and its release into spiritual maturity.

The doctrine is perhaps best expressed in the teachings of the four Samayacharya saints, who all shared a profound and mystical love of Siva marked by

1)    deep humility and self-effacement, admission of sin and weakness;

2)    total surrender in God as the only true refuge and

3)    a relationship of lover and beloved known as bridal mysticism, in which the devotee is the bride and Siva the bridegroom.

The practice of yoga, too, is an expression of love of God in Saiva Siddhanta, and it is only with God's grace that success is achieved. Rishi Tirumular states: "Unless your heart melts in the sweet ecstasy of love - my Lord, my treasure-trove, you can never possess" (Tirumantiram 272). It is in this concept of the need for self-effacement and total surrender, prapatti, that the members of all sects merge in oneness, at the fulfillment of their individual paths. Similarly, they all meet in unity at the beginning of the path with the worship of Lord Ganesha.

See: bhakti, grace, pada, surrender.

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

pranic body: The subtle, life-giving sheath called pranamaya kosha.

See: kosha, prana.

(See also: Pranic body , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

potentialities: A state of latency, something that has power but is not developed or manifest, such as a talent yet to be matured.

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