Pāśa

Pāśa · pāśa, “the noose”

Māyā has other meanings too: see all meanings of Māyā.

Grammar: masculine noun, from the root paś (to bind): “that which binds”, a noose or cord.

Meaning: a noose: a cord with a loop, used to catch and bind, and borne as a weapon.

In the scriptures: Vyāsa tells the munis how the pāpīs go along the southern road to Yama. They see the dreadful gate from far off, are terrified and faint; then Yama’s soldiers beat them, bind them with fetters and nooses (pāśas), drag them, threaten them with staffs and push them in at the southern gate. In Yama’s court, Mṛtyu stands close by with the radiance of the fire of the end of time, and with him Mahāmārī, Kālarātri and the diseases and hardships in many forms, holding śakti, śūla, astras, pāśa, cakra, aṅkuśa, khaḍga and other weapons (Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 215).

Related terms: Yama · Yamadūta · Aṅkuśa · Śakti · Naraka

Sources

• Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 215