sadhana marga: (Sanskrit) "The way of sadhana."

A term used by Sage Yogaswami to name his prescription for seekers of Truth - a path of intense effort, spiritual discipline and consistent inner transformation, as opposed to theoretical and intellectual learning.

See: mysticism, pada, sadhana, spiritual unfoldment.

(See also: Sadhana marga , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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Parashakti: (Sanskrit) "Supreme power; primal energy."

God Siva's second perfection, which is impersonal, immanent, and with form - the all-pervasive, Pure Consciousness and Primal Substance of all that exists. There are many other descriptive names for Parashakti - Satchidananda ("existence-consciousness-bliss"), light, silence, divine mind, superconsciousness and more. Parashakti can be experienced by the diligent yogi or meditator as a merging in, or identification with, the underlying oneness flowing through all form. The experience is called savikalpa samadhi.

See: raja yoga, Shakti, Satchidananda, tattva.

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

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parama: (Sanskrit) "Highest; supreme."

See: para.

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

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Parakhya Agama: (Sanskrit) A subsidiary Saiva Agamic text (Upagama).

(See also: Parakhya Agama , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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papa-duhkha: (Sanskrit) "Sin and suffering."

See: karma, papa, sin.

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

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Saguna Brahman: (Sanskrit) "God with qualities." The Personal Lord.

See: Brahman, Parameshvara.

(See also: Saguna Brahman , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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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)

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sahasra lekhana sadhana: (Sanskrit) "Thousand-times writing discipline." The spiritual practice of writing a sacred mantra 1,008 times.

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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)

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sadhu: (Sanskrit) "Virtuous one; straight, unerring."

A holy man dedicated to the search for God. A sadhu may or may not be a yogi or a sannyasin, or be connected in any way with a guru or legitimate lineage. Sadhus usually have no fixed abode and travel unattached from place to place, often living on alms.

There are countless sadhus on the roads, byways, mountains, riverbanks, and in the ashramas and caves of India. They have, by their very existence, a profound, stabilizing effect on the consciousness of India and the world.

See: vairagi.

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

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papman: (Sanskrit) "Evil; sin."

See: evil, papa, Satan, sin.

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

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paradox: "Side-by-side opinion or thought."

An apparent contradiction according to conventional logic and reason.

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

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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)

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

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

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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)

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Parasiva: (Sanskrit) "Transcendent Siva."

The Self God, Siva in His first perfection, Absolute Reality. God Siva as That which is beyond the grasp of consciousness, transcends time, form and space and defies description. To merge with Him in mystic union is the goal of all incarnated souls, the reason for their living on this planet, and the deepest meaning of their experiences. Attainment of this is called Self Realization or nirvikalpa samadhi.

See: samadhi, Siva.

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

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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)

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sutra: (Sanskrit) "Thread."

An aphoristic verse; the literary style consisting of such maxims. From 500 bce, this style was widely adopted by Indian philosophical systems and eventually employed in works on law, grammar, medicine, poetry, crafts, etc. Each sutra is often accompanied by a commentary called bhashya and sometimes subcommentary called tika, vyakhyana or tippani.

Through the media of short, concise, easily memorized sutras, vast amounts of knowledge were preserved. Reciting relevant sutra texts from memory is a daily sadhana in various Hindu arts and sciences.

Sutra also names the wife's wedding pendant (mangala sutra).

See: bhashya, wedding pendant.

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

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pendant: An ornament or piece of jewelry attached to a necklace.

See: wedding pendant.

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

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Paushkara Agama: (Sanskrit) Subsidiary text (Upagama) of the Matanga Parameshvara Saiva Agama, containing 977 verses divided into 90 chapters. A mostly philosophic treatise dealing with God, soul and world and the instruments of knowledge.

(See also: Paushkara Agama , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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sacred thread: Yajnopavita.

See: upanayana.

(See also: Sacred thread , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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Pati-pashu-pasha: (Sanskrit) Literally: "master, cow and tether."

These are the three primary elements (padartha, or tattvatrayi) of Saiva Siddhanta philosophy: God, soul and world - Divinity, man and cosmos - seen as a mystically and intricately interrelated unity. Pati is God, envisioned as a cowherd. Pashu is the soul, envisioned as a cow. Pasha is the all-important force or fetter by which God brings souls along the path to Truth. The various schools of Hinduism define the rapport among the three in varying ways. For pluralistic Saiva Siddhantins they are three beginningless verities, self-existent, eternal entities. For monistic Saiva Siddhantins, pashu and pasha are the emanational creation of Pati, Lord Siva, and He alone is eternal reality.

See: pasha, Saiva Siddhanta, soul.

(See also: Pati-pashu-pasha , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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