Glossary of Hinduism Terms - P

P

  • Pānchajanya (पांचजन्‍य): Name of Krishna's conch.
  • Palāsa (पलास): A tree Butea frondosa also called "flame of the forest".
  • Pānchāla (पांचाल): Pānchāla corresponds to the geographical area between the Ganges River and Yamuna River around the city of Kanpur and Benares. Anciently, it was home to an Indian kingdom, the Panchalas, one of the Mahajanapadas.
  • Pānchālī (पांचाली): Another name of Draupadi, Queen of the Pandavas and daughter of King Drupada.
  • Pānchālya (पांचाल्य): A son of King Drupada who died in the war.
  • Panchvatī (पंचवटी): The place beside the river Godavari where Rama, Sita and Laxmana stayed in exile.
  • Pāṇḍavaḥ (पाण्‍डव): Pandavas in Sanskrit pāṇḍavaḥ are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. They are Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna and Nakula, Sahadeva
  • Pāṇḍu (पाण्‍डु): Second son of Vichitravirya and Ambalika who succeeded to the throne of Hastinapura on his father's death, as his elder brother Dhritarashtra was born blind, father of the Pandavas.
  • Paramhamsa (परमहंस): The supreme swan
  • Pārāsara (पारासर): A great sage, father of Veda Vyasa.
  • Parashurama (परसुराम): Sixth avatara of Vishnu, the son of Jamadagni. His name literally means Rama-with-the-axe. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. Parashurama's creation was a mistake as his mother was given a concoction made to produce a Kshatriya child. Parashurama was of mixed varna.
  • Pārtha (पार्थ): Another name of Arjuna.
  • Paravasu (परवसु): Son of Raibhva and elder brother of Arvavasu whose wife was violated by Yavakrida, who was killed with a spear by a fiend for his sin.
  • Parikshit (परिक्षित): Son of Abhimanyu and grandson of the Pandavas who was crowned king after the holocaust claimed the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
  • Parṇada (पर्णाद): The name of a brahman who brought news of Nala to Damayanti.
  • Pārvatī (पार्वती): Goddess of love, the consort of Shiva and mother of Ganesha,Rukmini prayed to her for saving her from the cruel Sisupala king of Chedi, as she had set her heart on marrying Krishna.
  • Pāśupatāstra (पाशुपतास्त्र): Pāśupatāstra is the irresistible and most destructive personal weapon of Siva discharged by the mind, eyes, words or a bow.
  • Paurava (पौरव): A Kaurava hero.
  • Pavanrekhā (पवनरेखा): Wife of Ugrasena, mother of Kams.
  • Phalguna (फल्‍गुन): Arjuna.
  • Pitāmaha (पितामह): Literally grandfather, which however carried no imputation of senile infirmity but denotes the status of the pater familias.
  • Prabhasa (प्रभास): The Vasu who seized Vasishtha's divine cow.
  • Pradyumna (प्रद्‍युम्‍न): Son of Krishna and Rukmani.
  • Prahasta (प्रहस्‍त): Means long-head, One of Ravana's generals.
  • Prajāpatī (प्रजाप‍ित): Prajāpatīs are a group (or one) of creation gods, children of Brahma, including Daksha.
  • Pramanakoti (प्रमाणकोटि): A beautiful spot on the banks of the Ganges, to the north of Hastinapura, the Kuru capital (1,128). Duryodhana built a palace here for disporting himself in the waters of Ganges. A huge banyan tree was the mark of that place (3,12). Here he poisoned the food of Bhima, bound him and threw him into Ganges. Bhima was rescued by the Naga tribes living in the vicinity (1,128) (8,83) (9,56).
  • Prasad (प्रसाद): Food or other offerings, considered to be sanctified, after being presented to God. (See also: Naivedhya)
  • Pratikhami (प्रतिखामी): Duryodhana's charioteer.
  • Prayāg (प्रयाग): The holy place at Allahabad where Ganges and Yamuna meet.
  • Prithā (प्रिथा): Mother of Karna and of the Pandavas; equvivalent Kunti.
  • Puṇdarikaksha (पुण्डरिक्ष ): Krishna, the lotus-eyed one.
  • Purāṇa (पुराण): Purana meaning "ancient" or "old" is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Indian written literature (as distinct from oral literature). Its general themes are history, tradition and religion. It is usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another.
  • Purochana (पुरोचन ): An architect and friend of Duryodhana, who built a beautiful wax palace named "Sivam" in Varanavata. Kunti prepared a lavish feast which left him intoxicated and led to his death as the wax palace burnt down.
  • Purumitra (पुरुमित्र ): A Kaurava warrior
  • Purushārtha (पुरुषार्थ): The four chief aims of human life. Arranged from lowest to highest, these goals are: sensual pleasures (kama), worldly status and security (artha), personal righteousness and social morality (dharma), and liberation from the cycle of reincarnation (moksha).
  • Purushottama (पुरुषोत्तम): An epithet of Sri Krishna. It is one of the names of Vishnu and means the Supreme Being.
  • Pushkara: The brother of Nala to whom nala lost his kingdom and all that he possessed in gambling.

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