PURUSHA – The cosmic person

Purusha meant “man” and later by extension “soul” or “consciousness.” It was utilized both in Hindu mythology and philosophy—often in quite divergent ways. In the various philosophical-theological schools (darsanas), purusha shared contexts with atman (self), brahman (Absolute), kshetrajna (the knower of the field). In the great creation hymn of the…

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PURANAS – The heart of Hindu mythological literature

Purana means “ancient” and thus this body of literature claimed to be authori­tative, especially for the kali yuga (the present age). Scholars date their compo­sition in three periods (300-500; 500-1000; 1000-1800). Puranas deal with both philosophical and existential issues, mostly presented through a poetic narra­tive. The five topics covered in…

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PRANA, PRANAS – A concept

Prana means “breath” or “life” and by extension could mean “energy” or “life force.” There was one hymn in the Atharvaveda in which Prana was personified as a deva (god). It was, however, as life force that prana appeared in Hindu mythology. In the practice of yoga (especially hatha yoga)…

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PRALAYA – A concept

Pralaya (“dissolution”) generally meant the destruction of one creation before the next. Chapter 2 deals with Hindu conceptions of time and of multiple cre­ations. The Agni Purana mentioned four kinds of pralaya: a daily destruction (nitya pralaya), the destruction at the end of a kalpa or a day of Brahma…

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PRAKRITI – (1) Matter; (2) A goddess

(1) Matter; (2) A goddess Prakriti was a term meaning nature, origin, or progress, which was used to express one of the foundational ideas of India’s earliest philosophical system, Samkhya (or Sankhya). In Samkhya prakriti was the category of matter or mate­riality. Hindu mythology simplified Samkhya complexity and even personified…

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