The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2
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Pap<br />
498<br />
panth is more closely associated with<br />
movements in the sant religious tradition,<br />
which tended toward rebellion<br />
against the prevailing religious establishment,<br />
whereas sampraday is more<br />
commonly applied to groups that<br />
e<strong>vol</strong>ved within these established religious<br />
communities.<br />
Pap<br />
(“evil”) A word sometimes used as an<br />
adjective to describe people and<br />
actions, but most <strong>of</strong>ten used as a noun,<br />
either to denote a particular deed as evil<br />
or to refer to the collective evil one has<br />
accumulated through the bad deeds in<br />
one’s karmic career. Since, according to<br />
karma theory, all one’s deeds will eventually<br />
come to fruition, the evil that one<br />
has done is seen as already existing,<br />
even if only in a potential state. <strong>The</strong><br />
opposite <strong>of</strong> pap is punya, the most general<br />
term denoting religious merit.<br />
Papamochani Ekadashi<br />
Religious observance falling on the<br />
eleventh day (ekadashi) <strong>of</strong> the dark<br />
(waning) half <strong>of</strong> the lunar month <strong>of</strong><br />
Chaitra (March–April). <strong>The</strong> name<br />
Papamochani means “freeing from<br />
evil,” and the faithful observance <strong>of</strong><br />
this festival is believed to do exactly<br />
that. As with all the eleventh-day<br />
observances, it is dedicated to the<br />
worship <strong>of</strong> Vishnu. Most Hindu festivals<br />
have certain prescribed rites, which<br />
usually in<strong>vol</strong>ve fasting (upavasa) and<br />
worship (puja), and <strong>of</strong>ten promise specific<br />
benefits for faithful performance.<br />
On this day one should worship Vishnu<br />
with the full complement <strong>of</strong> the sixteen<br />
upacharas (“<strong>of</strong>ferings”).<br />
Papankusha Ekadashi<br />
Religious observance falling on the<br />
eleventh day (ekadashi) <strong>of</strong> the bright<br />
(waxing) half <strong>of</strong> the lunar month <strong>of</strong><br />
Ashvin (September–October). As with<br />
all the eleventh-day observances, it is<br />
dedicated to the worship <strong>of</strong> Vishnu.<br />
Most Hindu festivals have certain<br />
prescribed rites, which usually in<strong>vol</strong>ve<br />
fasting (upavasa) and worship (puja),<br />
and <strong>of</strong>ten promise specific benefits for<br />
faithful performance. This ekadashi’s<br />
name indicates that it is the goad<br />
(ankusha) to drive away all evil (pap),<br />
here fancifully conceived as an elephant.<br />
Thus, faithfully observing this festival is<br />
believed to cleanse one <strong>of</strong> all one’s sins.<br />
Parakiya<br />
(“belonging to another”) Particular type<br />
<strong>of</strong> relationship between lover and<br />
beloved, in which the woman is seen as<br />
married to another person. Parakiya is<br />
said to generate the most intense passion,<br />
since the people pursuing it have<br />
nothing to gain but love itself—if<br />
caught, they risk ridicule and shame,<br />
and in any case their liaison has no real<br />
future. This is not the conventional, safe<br />
love with one’s own spouse (svakiya)<br />
that is sanctioned by marriage, carries<br />
social approval, and usually entails procreation,<br />
but rather a dangerous love<br />
pursued solely for pleasure. This type <strong>of</strong><br />
relationship is a standard image in<br />
Sanskrit poetry, and is also the dominant<br />
theme for describing the relationship<br />
between the god Krishna and his<br />
human consort Radha, which is seen as<br />
symbolizing the relationship between<br />
god and the human soul.<br />
Paramahamsa<br />
(“supreme Hamsa”) One <strong>of</strong> four types <strong>of</strong><br />
Hindu ascetic. <strong>The</strong> four types were<br />
based on their supposed means <strong>of</strong> livelihood,<br />
which in practice has been much<br />
less important for ascetic identity than<br />
sectarian or organizational affiliation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Paramahamsa is the most prestigious<br />
<strong>of</strong> the four, the others being (in<br />
order <strong>of</strong> increasing status) Kutichaka,<br />
Bahudaka, and Hamsa. Paramahamsas<br />
have no fixed abode and always live in<br />
an uninhabited place. <strong>The</strong>y are said to<br />
have transcended all questions <strong>of</strong> religious<br />
duty (dharma), purity, and impurity<br />
(ashaucha), to have broken all<br />
attachments to the world, and to be