# प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/pratyahara

प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) is a Sanskrit word meaning drawing back or retreat, withdrawal of the senses from external objects, abstraction, the dissolution of the world, a particular part of the Purva-ranga in drama, speaking to, address, sound. Its 17 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them Cosmic Dissolution / Reabsorption of the Universe, General Withdrawal, Abridgement, or Comprehensive Senses, Grammatical Abbreviation (Pāṇinian Pratyāhāra).

- **Root:** कृ (kṛ)
- **Etymology:** E. प्रति and आङ् before, हृ to seize or convey, aff. घञ् । — E. prati and āṅ before, hṛ to seize or convey, aff. ghañ
- **SLP1:** `pratyAhAra`  **IAST:** pratyāhāra  **Devanagari:** प्रत्याहार
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/pratyahara/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Cosmic Dissolution / Reabsorption of the Universe (3 definitions)
- the dissolution of the world  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > withdrawing (of created things), re-absorption or dissolution of the world, Mahābhārata (Title) [ ID=134289 ]
- 1. Dissolution or destruction. 2. A comprehensive word.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 339 ] प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) m. = prec., dissolution, destruction; comprehension or comprehensive word ( g. ). [ ID=20578 ]
- the withdrawal of creation at the end of an age  
  *The Purana Index*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 2-415 ] Pratyāhāra (I) — the stage of the dissolution or with- drawal of creation on the commencement of Pralaya at the end of Kali; then the primordial spirit (avyakta) swallows that which is manifest (vyakta): waters swallow the gan- dha quality of the earth thus plunging the earth in waters; then the rasa quality of the waters gets merged in fire which spreads in all directions; the rūpa quality of fire is in turn eaten away by wind; this permeates all the ten directions, both above and below; the sparśa quality of wind is swal- lowed by ākāśā; the śabda (sound) quality of which is over- whelmed by bhūta and other gross elements; the great souls absorb these (mahā); seven Prakṛtis one covering the other. Br. II. 6. 14; IV. 3. 1-21; Vā. 102. 1-2, 5. [ ID=8559 ]

### General Withdrawal, Abridgement, or Comprehensive Senses (3 definitions)
- 1. Abstraction, insensibility, or restraining the senses. 2. Abridgement or compendium. 3. A grammatical combination of letters to form a class. 4. Substitution of one thing for another. 5. Withholding. 6. Taking back.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 571 ] प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1 Abstraction, insensibility, restraining the organs so as to be indifferent to disagreeable or agreeable excitement. 2 Abridgement, compendium. 3 (In grammar,) Combination of two or more letters of the alphabet to form a class of letters. 4 Substitution of one thing for another. 5 Withholding. 6 Taking back. E. प्रति (prati) and आङ् (āṅ) before हृ (hṛ) to seize or convey, aff. घञ् (ghañ). [ ID=26333 ]
- 1. Restraining the senses from external objects. 2. Abridgement or compendium. 3. A combination of letters representing a class of sounds in grammar. 4. Substitution of one thing for another. 5. Withholding or taking back. 6. Marching back. 7. The dissolution of the world.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 486-b ] प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1. Abstraction, insensibility, restraining the organs so as to be indifferent to disagreeable or agreeable excitement, (in Yoga Phil.) 2. Abridgement, compendium. 3. (In gram. Combination of two or more letters of the alphabet to form a class of letters; the inclusion of a number of letters into one syllable effected by combining the first letter of a Sūtra with its final indicatory consonant:—as “ अच् ” (“ac”) or “ हल् ” (“hal”) in Pānini's gram. 4. Substitution of one thing for another. 5. Withholding. 6. Taking back. 7. Marching back, retracting. 8. The dissolution of the world. E. प्रति (prati) and आङ् (āṅ) before, हृ (hṛ) to seize or convey, aff. घञ् । (ghañ.) [ ID=26895 ]
- 1. Retreat or marching back. 2. Withholding or abstraction, especially restraining the senses from external objects. 3. The dissolution or reabsorption of the world. 4. A grammatical group or class of letters combined into one syllable for concise rules. 5. A compendium or abridgment.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > Praty-āhāra, as, m. drawing back (troops from a battle), marching back, retreat; withholding; with- drawing the senses from external objects, restraint of the organs of sense, abstraction; the reabsorption or dissolution of the world; (in grammar) the compre- hension of a series of letters or affixes into one syllable effected by combining the first member of the series without its indicatory letter or letters with the indicatory final consonant of the last member, a group or class of letters so combined (for the concise expression of grammatical rules; thus the Praty- āhāra ac is the technical term for the letters a, i, u, ṛ, ḷ, e, o, ai, au, or all the vowels, and the Praty-āhāra hal is the term for all the consonants); compendium, abridgment; substitution (?). [ ID=31848 ]

### Grammatical Abbreviation (Pāṇinian Pratyāhāra) (3 definitions)
- the comprehension of a series of letters or roots into one syllable by combining for brevity the first member with the anubandha of the last  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in gram. ) the comprehension of a series of letters or roots &c. into one syllable by combining for shortness the first member with the Anubandha ( s.v. ) of the last member [ ID=134290 ]
- a group of letters combined according to specific grammatical rules  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a group of letters &c. so combined (as अच् (ac) or हल् (hal) in the ŚivaSūtras), Pāṇini (Author) i, 1, 1 &c. [ ID=134291 ]
- 1. Withholding or retreating. 2. The dissolution of the world. 3. Restraining the senses in yoga. 4. Combining letters into one syllable in grammar.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 470-26 ] प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) m. 1. Withholding; 2. marching back, retreating; 3. the dissolution of the world; 4. restraining the organs of sense (in Yoga phil.); 5. the inclusion of a number of letters into one syllable effected by combining the first letter of a sūtra with its final indicatory consonant (in Pāṇini’s grammar), e.g. अच् (ac), हल् (hal). [ ID=24429 ]

### Yogic Sensory Withdrawal & Mental Abstraction (3 definitions)
- withdrawal of the senses from external objects, abstraction  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > withdrawal ( esp. of the senses from external objects), abstraction, Mahābhārata (Title); Manu-smṛti (Title); Purāṇas (Literary category); Vedāntasāra (Title) ( cf. Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 93 ) [ ID=134288 ]
- 1. Abstraction of mind. 2. Abridgement. 3. Taking back.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 512-a ] प्रत्या _ हार (pratyā_hāra) ( रः ) ((raḥ)) 1. m. Abstraction of mind; abridgement; taking back. [ ID=25830 ]
- 1. A yogic practice that destroys all sense pleasures. 2. A state in which the yogin sees God within himself.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Pratyāhāra (II) — a dharma of the yoga, ruins all viṣayas or sense pleasures. 1 The yogin sees God in himself. 2 [ Footnote: 1) M. 183. 54. Vā. 10. 76 and 93. Vi. VI. 7. 45.] [ Footnote: 2) Vā. 11. 18-9, 30; 101. 211; 104. 24.] [ ID=8560 ]

### Uncertain or Possibly Erroneous Meanings (2 definitions)
- speaking to, address  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > speaking to, address ( ° (°) रं -√ कृ (° (°)raṃ-√kṛ), with gen., to speak to a person), Kāraṇḍa-vyūha (Title) ( prob. w.r. for प्रव्याह् (pravyāh) ° (°) ) [ ID=134293 ]
- sound  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > sound, in the same place [Cologne Addition] (Title) ( prob. w.r. for id. ) [ ID=134294 ]

### Military Retreat / Withdrawal of Forces (1 definition)
- drawing back or retreat  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 677,2] प्रत्य् - आहार (praty-āhāra) m. drawing back (troops from a battle), retreat, Mahābhārata (Title) [ ID=134287 ]

### Referential or Placeholder Entry (1 definition)
- See below  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) [Printed book page 0627-c ] प्रत्याहार (pratyāhāra) praty-āhāra. See below. [ ID=31843 ]

### Technical Term in Dramaturgy (1 definition)
- a particular part of the Purva-ranga in drama  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in dram. ) N. of a partic. part of the Pūrva-raṅga ( s.v. ), Sāhitya-darpaṇa (Title) [ ID=134292 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546