samana(in the navel) aids digestion,
udana(in the throat) conveys things out
of the mouth—like speech, song, burps,
etc.—and vyanacirculates throughout
the body, mixing things together. These
winds are the focus of the yogaexercise
known as pranayama, the aim of which
is to achieve control over the central
forces of life.
Pranapratishtha
(“establishing the prana”) Pranapratishtha
is the final rite in the consecrationof a
deity’s image, usually performed by
brahmins, since they have the necessary
ritual purityand training. The image is
infused with the breath of life (prana)
through the performance of ritual and
the intoning of sacred sounds known as
mantras. After this rite is performed, the
deityis believed to be resident in the
image, which thereafter must be treated
with the care such a spiritual entity
requires.
Pranava
Name denoting the sacred sound Om.
See Om.
Pranayama
(“restraint of breath”) In the ashtanga
(“eight-part”) yoga first codified by
Patanjali(1st c. C.E.?), pranayama is
the fourth of the eight constituent
elements of yoga practice. Pranayama
requires a conscious control of respir-
ation, specifically halting one’s breath-
ing before inhaling and exhaling.
When both of these actions have
become automatic, this is described as
“total” restraint. This practice is sup-
posed to weaken and destroy the prac-
titioner’s unwholesome karma, and
render the mind fit for concentration.
Removing karma is necessary for liber-
ation of the soul, since all karma (both
good and bad) ties one to the cycle of
birth and rebirth.
Prapatti
(“throwing oneself down”) Prapatti
refers to a devotee’s (bhakta) complete
surrender to God’s power as the only
means of salvation. This attitude is
particularly stressed among the
Shrivaishnavas, a southern Indian
religious community who are followers
of the god Vishnuand whose founder
was the great philosopher Ramanuja
(11th c.). Although ultimate power is
believed to be vested in God’s graceby
the practitioners of prapatti, believers
nevertheless possess a concern for
continuing religious practice. Thus,
prapatti is not meant to replace conven-
tional religious activities such as wor-
ship. These activities are still performed,
but with the consciousness that God’s
grace will be sufficient. They are there-
fore not seen as a means toward salva-
tion, but as reflections of the grace one
has already obtained.Prapti
(“acquisition”) One of the eight super-
human powers (siddhi) traditionally
believed to be conferred by high spiritual
attainment. This particular power gives
one the ability to gain any object simply
by desiring it.Prarthana Samaj
Hindu reformist organization centered
in Bombay, whose most important fig-
ure was M. G. Ranade(1842–1901). The
Prarthana Samaj’s reformist mission
focused more on social issues than on
theological or worship-related ones.
Their primary aim was to rid Hindu
society of “evils” such as child marriage
and the ban on widow remarriage.
Although its members were educated
and progressive, they were also reli-
giously conservative and devout Hindus
with deep roots in the tradition. They
saw their work as a slow and gradual
process of reforming Hinduism by
removing its most objectionable prac-
tices rather than by radically remaking it
from start. In this they differed from thePranapratishtha