Pasha (Hinduism)
Pasha (Pāśa), often translated as "noose" or "lasso", is a supernatural weapon depicted in Hindu iconography. Hindu deities such as Ganesha, Yama , Shyamala devi and Varuna are depicted with the pasha in their hands.
Pasha is a common attribute of Ganesha,[1] the Lord of removing obstacles; a pasha represents his power to bind and free obstacles. Yama, the god of death, uses the Pasha to extract a soul from a being's body at the time of death.[2] In sculpture, it is depicted as two or three bound into one or a double loop.[3]
The Sanskrit word "pasha" originally meant "knot" or "loop".[4] In general usage, the pasha is used to bind a foe's arms and legs or for hunting animals.[4][3] Pasha represents worldly attachment as well as power of a deity to capture and bind evil and ignorance.[1] Ananda Coomaraswamy explores the connection of pasha to worldly bonds.[4]
In the
Illustrations
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Ganesha -
Yama -
Varuna holding a pasha in the form of a snake
References
- ^ ISBN 978-90-74597-07-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8239-3180-4.
- ^ a b Rao, T. A. Gopinatha (1914). Elements of Hindu iconography. Vol. 1: Part I. Madras: Law Printing House. p. 8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-900588-77-8.
- ISBN 978-1-934145-17-3.