Prahana, Prahāṇa: 12 definitions

Introduction
In Buddhism
1. Mahayana
2. General definition
Languages
1. Sanskrit
See also

Introduction:

Prahana means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Prahāna (प्रहान) refers to the “suppression (of the negative emotions)”, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 35.—Accordingly, [while discussing the ten notions (daśasaṃjñā)]: “[...] Others say that the ten and the nine notions are equally detachment and, together, nirvāṇa. Why? [...] 7. When the Yogin uses the nine notions to become disgusted with the joys of the world and knows that suppression of the negative emotions (kleśa-prahāna) is salvation and peace, there is prahāṇasaṃjñā, the notion of cutting, [the eighth of the ten notions]. [...]”.

Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण) refers to “getting rid of (afflictions)”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then, the Lord went on to speak these verses: ‘(40) They give a gift for the sake of good (kuśala) and getting rid of afflictions (kleśa-prahāṇa), for that reason they do not desire to grasp (grāha) [anything]. Giving is not only for the sake of the vices of others but also for the sake of awakening that is the purity of one’s own mind. [...]’”.

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

General definition (in Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgraha

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण, “abandoning”) or Prahāṇabala refers to the “the strength of abandoning” and represents one of the “ten strengths of the Bodhisattvas” (bala) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 75). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., prahāṇa). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D. Pratisaṃkhyāna can also be spelled as Pratisaṅkhyāna.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण).—

1) Abandoning, omitting, quitting; क्लेशप्रहाणमिह लब्धसबीजयोगाः (kleśaprahāṇamiha labdhasabījayogāḥ) Śiśupālavadha 4.55.

2) Abstraction, speculation, meditation.

3) Exertion.

Derivable forms: prahāṇam (प्रहाणम्).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण).—nt. (besides the mgs. here noted, also as in Sanskrit id., getting rid of, abandonment; only this meaning seems to be recognized by Tibetan which regularly renders spoṅ ba; meaning 1 = Pali padhāna, [Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit] also pradhāna, q.v., here in Pktic form, compare AMg. pahāṇa-vanta, [Ardha-Māgadhī Dictionary] = Hindi saṃyama samādhivālā; rendered one who con- centrates on self-restraint, better…on strenuous exertion; meaning 2 = AMg. pahāṇa, Sanskrit pradhāna), (1) exertion, strenuosity: four such Mahāvyutpatti 957—961 (as in Pali, see s.v. pradhāna for list); oftener called samyakprahāṇa (also °pradhāna; Pali sammappadhāna); Dharmasaṃgraha 45 (with list); Śikṣāsamuccaya 105.14; Kāśyapa Parivarta 95.6; Divyāvadāna 208.8; in long cpds. containing lists of virtues and religious requirements, Lalitavistara 8.5; 426.7; prahāṇa less technically, of zealous religious activity, in a series of verses similar, tho not quite identical, in Mahāvastu ii.238.3 ff., Lalitavistara 261.2 ff., and Pali Sn 425 ff.: Lalitavistara 4 prahāṇāyodyataṃ…dṛḍhavikramaṃ (subject), compare Mahāvastu 4 prahāṇaṃ prahitaṃ (q.v.) mayā, Sn 425 maṃ padhāna pahitattaṃ; Mahāvastu 8 saṃhara mahā-prahāṇaṃ, restrain your great (ascetic) exertion! (Māra speaks), not in Lalitavistara or Sn Lalitavistara 13 kiṃ prahāṇe kariṣyasi, (Sanskritization of) Mahāvastu 12 kiṃ prahāṇena kāhisi, Sn 428 kiṃ padhānena kāhasi; Lalitavistara 14 duḥkhaṃ mārgaṃ praháṇasya, Mahāvastu 13 text dūraṃ (mss. duraṃ, duraṃgaṃ, read perhaps duḥkham?) āśā prahāṇasya, Sn 429 duggo maggo padhānāya; similarly, prahāṇāya gamiṣyāmi Mahāvastu ii.199.18 (verse) = Pali Sn 424 padhānāya gamissāmi; in a prose passage not found in Lalitavistara or Sn, but introducing the above series of verses, Mahāvastu has (in words said by Māra to the Bodhisattva) kiṃ prahāṇena kari- ṣyasi ii.237.18, prahāṇam ca duṣkaram 21; bodhisattvaḥ [Page390-a+ 71] prahāṇārthī viharati Lalitavistara 246.8, which supports reading of v.l. at Mahāvastu ii.124.1 (alaṃ punaḥ me…) kulaputrasya prahāṇārthikasya prahāṇāye, yan nūnāhaṃ ihaiva (mss. °vaṃ) prahāṇaṃ hareyaṃ (so mss., Senart prahar°; better would perhaps be vihareyaṃ, dwell in…, see s.v. vyapakṛṣṭa, where cliché is cited with prahitātmā and forms of viharati); the first part of this Mahāvastu passage is supported by Majjhimanikāya (Pali) i.167.6—7 alaṃ vat’ idaṃ kula- puttassa padhānatthikassa padhānāyā ti; prahāṇaṃ pradadhāti (so probably read for Senart's em. pratidadhāti, mss. corrupt) Mahāvastu ii.208.1; -prahāṇa-jñāna- Lalitavistara 434.9; lūhaprahāṇena Mahāvastu ii.126.12 and in sequel (= rūkṣa- pradhāna, see the latter); °ṇa-śālā, hall of religious exercise, concentration, in a monastery, Mūla-Sarvāstivāda-Vinaya iv.74.4 ff.; śaithiliko bāhulikaḥ prahāṇa-vibhraṣṭaḥ (fallen away from religious exertions) Lalitavistara 407.19; Mahāvastu iii.329.3—4 (here text with mss. vikrānto, probably intending vibhrānto, for vi- bhraṣṭaḥ, compare Pali bāhuliko padhānavibbhanto Vin. i.9.1 and Jātaka (Pali) i.68.2, in the same incident); utkuṭuka-pra°, see utku°; in the formula of the four ṛddhipāda, q.v., always -samādhi-prahāṇa-saṃskāra-samanvāgata (Pali samādhi-padhāna-saṃkhāra-samannāgata, e.g. Dīghanikāya (Pali) ii. 213.7); (2) twice I believe prahāṇa (= AMg. pahāṇa) = Sanskrit pradhāna, the chief thing, at end of [bahuvrīhi] cpds. = chiefly consisting of or characterized by: kuhana-lapana- prahāṇaṃ māyā-mātsarya-doṣa-irṣyādyaṃ, (iha te kleśā- raṇyaṃ chinnaṃ…) Lalitavistara 372.17 (verse), here you have cut down the forest of the impurities, consisting chiefly of kuhana and lapana (qq.v.), including deceit, malice, hatred, jealousy, etc.; tasya tahiṃ āśramapade prativasato kṣama-dama-prahāṇasya Mahāvastu ii.221.15 (verse), while he was dwelling…characterized by… In both these the Sanskrit meaning abandonment is manifestly impossible (tho Foucaux tries to adopt it in Lalitavistara, by flagrant violation of the text), and exertion in the sense of Pali padhāna seems certainly implausible. The word is very common in AMg. in this meaning; note that [Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit] has usually this AMg.-like form for Pali padhāna.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण).—n.

(-ṇaṃ) Abandoning, omitting.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण).—[neuter] ṇi [feminine] ceasing, vanishing.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Prahaṇa (प्रहण):—[wrong reading] for pra-haraṇa, [Harivaṃśa]

2) Prahāṇa (प्रहाण):—[=pra-hā-ṇa] n. relinquishing, abandoning, avoiding, [Śiśupāla-vadha; Śaṃkarācārya; Lalita-vistara]

3) [v.s. ...] abstraction, speculation, meditation, [Lalita-vistara; Vajracchedikā]

4) [v.s. ...] exertion, [Dharmasaṃgraha 45.]

5) Prahāna (प्रहान):—[=pra-hāna] [wrong reading] for hāṇa

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण):—[pra-hāṇa] (ṇaṃ) 1. n. Destruction.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Prahāṇa (प्रहाण) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Pahāṇa.

[Sanskrit to German]

Prahana in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Relevant text

Search found 8 books and stories containing Prahana, Prahāṇa, Prahaṇa, Praha-na, Prahā-ṇa, Prahāna, Pra-hana, Pra-hāna, Pra-hāṇa; (plurals include: Prahanas, Prahāṇas, Prahaṇas, nas, ṇas, Prahānas, hanas, hānas, hāṇas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Chapter XXII - The temptation by Māra < [Volume II]

Chapter XIV - The great renunciation < [Volume II]

Chapter XXXVIII - The questions of Sabhika < [Volume III]

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Preliminary note on the ten concepts (daśa-saṃjñā) < [Chapter XXXVII - The Ten Concepts]

IX. The concepts of renunciation (prahāṇa), detachment (virāga) and cessation (nirodha) < [Chapter XXXVII - The Ten Concepts]

Appendix 1 - The path of the śrāvakas < [Chapter XXX - The Characteristics of Prajñā]

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Philosophy (7): Buddhist philosophical concepts < [Chapter 4 - Cultural Aspects]

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2.1. The Meaning of Sammappadāna (supreme endeavor) < [Chapter 2 - Five Groups of Factor]

Chapter 5 - Resume and Conclusion