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Pratyahara Sanskrit:
"withdrawal of the senses"), in the Yoga system of Indian
philosophy, fifth of the eight stages intended to lead the aspirant to samadhi,
the state of perfect concentration. The goal of pratyahara is to
arrest the reaction of the senses to external objects, thus helping to
isolate and free the mind from the involuntary intrusions caused by
sensory activity. The mind does not cease to experience external phenomena
but merely experiences them directly through its own intensified powers of
concentration instead of through the mediation of the senses. Dharana Sanskrit DHARANA,
in the Yoga system of Indian philosophy, the sixth of the eight
stages intended to lead the aspirant to samadhi
("self-collectedness"), the state of perfect concentration. In
dharana, the mind concentrates its attention on a single external object.
Sufficient prolongation of dharana results in a deeper state of
concentration, dhyana (Sanskrit: "concentrated meditation"), in
which there is a constant identification between the meditator and the
object of meditation. These two stages and the final one of samadhi are
much alike and may be difficult to differentiate from one another. Prana Sanskrit PRANA
("breath"), in Indian philosophy, the body's vital
"airs," or energies. A central conception in early Hindu
philosophy, particularly as expressed in the Upanishads, prana was held to
be the principle of vitality and was thought to survive as a person's
"last breath" for eternity or until a future life. Prana
was at times identified with the self. It is also the first in a series of
"five pranas," windlike vital forces that are supposed to assist
breathing, distribution of food in the body, and digestion. In Yoga
philosophy, emphasis is placed on full control of the prana, through the
practice of pranayama , in order to enable one to meditate
without respiratory distraction and also for its therapeutic effect on
disorders. Yama (Sanskrit:
"restraint"), in the Yoga system of Indian philosophy,
first of the eight stages intended to lead the aspirant to samadhi,
or state of perfect concentration. An ethical preparation, meant to purify
the individual, yama involves the abstinence from injury to others
and from lying, stealing, sex, and avarice. The
second stage, niyama (Sanskrit: "discipline"), in its
ethical intent similar to yama, comprises five categories of
observance: cleanliness, contentment with one's material condition,
asceticism, study of the metaphysics relating to salvation, and devotion
to God. Neither
yama nor niyama is a specifically Yogic state; they are
preliminaries necessary for any type of asceticism. They prepare the yogic
practitioner for the more difficult stages. Asana Sanskrit ASANA
("sitting posture," "seat"), in the Yoga system
of Indian philosophy, immobile bodily posture that a person assumes in an
attempt to isolate the mind by freeing it from attention to bodily
functions. It is the third of the eight prescribed stages intended to lead
the aspirant to samadhi, the trancelike state of perfect concentration.
Once the practitioner is able with ease to maintain a rigid, essentially
unnatural posture, he has in a sense "concentrated" his body
(the antithesis of its normal dispersed state, that of infinite mobility).
As many as 32 or more different asanas have been enumerated, of which
perhaps the most common is the padmasana ("lotus
posture"). In
the visual arts of India, asana refers to the posture of a seated deity or
figure or to the seat or throne on which he sits. Darshan Sanskrit DARSANA
("auspicious viewing"), in Hindu worship, the beholding of an
auspicious deity, person, or object. The experience results in a blessing
of the viewer. The rathayatras (car festivals), in which images of
gods are taken in procession through the streets, enable even those who in
former days were not allowed to enter the temple to have darshan of the
deity. The capability of darshan is also imparted by a guru (spiritual
leader) to his followers, by a ruler to his subjects, and by objects of
veneration such as pilgrimage shrines to its visitors. Darshan,
as a point of view in Indian philosophy, refers to the different systems,
each with its own way of looking at things and each with a particular
exposition of the sacred scriptures, the Vedas. The traditional account is
that there are six such darshans, all of them orthodox: sankhya, yoga,
nyaya, vaisheshika, mimamsa, and vedanta. But other darshans are also
mentioned, such as the heterodox ones of Buddhism, Jainism, and the
materialistic Carvakas. Om in
Hinduism and other religions chiefly of India, a sacred syllable that is
considered to be the greatest of all the mantras, or sacred formulas. The
syllable Om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in
Sanskrit, the vowels a and u coalesce to become o),
which represent several important triads: the three worlds of earth,
atmosphere, and heaven; the three major Hindu gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva;
and the three sacred Vedic scriptures, Rg, Yajur, and Sama. Thus Om
mystically embodies the essence of the entire universe. It is uttered at
the beginning and end of Hindu prayers, chants, and meditation and is
freely used in Buddhist and Jaina ritual also. From the 6th century, the
written symbol The syllable is discussed in a number of the Upanishads, which are the texts of philosophical speculation, and it forms the entire subject matter of one, the Mandukya. It is used in the practice of Yoga and is related to techniques of auditory meditation. In the Puranas the syllable is put to sectarian use; thus the Saiva mark the lingam, or sign of Siva, with the symbol for Om, whereas the Vaishnava identify the three sounds as referring to a trinity composed of Vishnu, his wife Sri, and the worshiper.
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