The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1897 page)

 
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P
r
a-yoga
.

The Integral Yoga of
ri
Aurobindo
.

 
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Purohita
.

Early functionary in Aryan India, who counselled the ruler, especially through ritual techniques. The best-known purohita in post-Vedic times was Kau
ilya, to whom
Artha
astra
is attributed. See also
VASI
THA
. In the Vedic period, the purohita was also an advisor at all levels of sacrifice, and could be the officiant.

 
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(Skt., ‘man’, ‘person’). A spiritual concept variously understood in Hindu religion and philosophy. The famous
Puru
a-s
kta
(
g Veda
10. 90) celebrates puru
a as a cosmic demiurge, the material and efficient cause of the universe, whose sacrifice and division gave rise to the
Veda
and all of creation. The early
Upani
ads
and the
Bhagavad-g
t
use the term to mean an individual's spirit, psychic essence, or immortal Self. In
S
khya
philosophy, puru
a is the first principle (
tattva
), pure contentless consciousness, passive, unchanging, and witness to the unconscious dynamism of
Prak
ti
, primordial materiality.