pratyāhāra

This term designates a key technique in Pāṇinian grammar, but the term itself is not found in Pāṇini.

Definitions

Abhyankar Dictionary of Sanskrit Grammar

प्रत्याहार lit. bringing together; bringing together of several letters (or words in a few cases, such as roots or nouns) by mentioning the first and the last only for the sake of brevity; the term प्रत्याहार is generally used in connection with brief terms such as अण्, अक्, अच्, हल् and the like, created by Pāṇini in his grammar by taking any particular letter and associating it with any mute final letter (अनुबन्ध) of the fourteen Śivasūtras, with a view to include all letters beginning with the letter uttered and ending with the letter which precedes the (mute) letter. The practice of using such abbreviations was in existence before Pāṇini, possibly in the grammar attributed to Indra. The term प्रत्याहार is not actually used by Pāṇini; it is found in the Rk. Tantra; cf. प्रत्याहारार्थो वर्णोनुबन्धो व्यञ्जनम् R.T.I.3 The term appears to have come into use after Pāṇini. Pāṇini has not given any definition of the term प्रत्याहार. He has simply given the method of forming the Pratyāhāras and he has profusely used them; cf. आदिरन्त्येन सहेता P. I.1.71. The word कृञ् in P. III.1.40 and तृन् in P. II.3.69 are used as Prayāhāras. For a list of the Pratyāhāras which are used by Pāṇini see Kāśikā on the Māheśvara Sūtras.

Monier-Williams

[Derivation: prati-ā-hṛ]

Monier-Williams, p. 677 col. 2.

प्रत्य्-आहार m. drawing back (troops from a battle), retreat, MBh.
withdrawal (esp. of the senses from external objects), abstraction, MBh. ; Mn. ; Pur. ; Vedântas. (cf. IW. 93 )
withdrawing (of created things), re-absorption or dissolution of the world, MBh.
(in gram.) the comprehension of a series of letters or roots &c. into one syllable by combining for shortness the first member with the Anubandha (s.v.) of the last member
a group of letters &c. so combined (as अच् or हल् in the ŚivaSūtras), Pāṇ. 1-1, 1 &c

List of pratyāhāras used by Pāṇini

Cardona 1997 pp. 80-81 (section 129) gives a list of the 41 pratyāhāras actually used by Pāṇini. Cardona gives traditional terms in brackets, where these exist:

al: all sounds (varnāh)

ac: vowels (svarāh)

hal: consonants (vyañjanāni)

Vowel groups

ak: a i u ṛ ḷ (samānākṣarāni 'simple vowels')

aṇ: a i u

ic: i u ṛ ḷ e o ai au (nāminaḥ 'retroflexing vowels')

ik: i u ṛ ḷ

uk: u ṛ ḷ

ec: e o ai au (sandhyakṣarāni 'complex vowels')

eṅ: e o

aic: ai au

Groups of vowels and consonants

aś; vowels and voiced consonants

am: vowels, h, semivowels, and nasal stops

aṇ: vowels, h, and semivowels

aṭ: vowels, h, and semivowels other than l

iṇ: vowels other than a; h and semivowels

Consonant groups

haś: voiced consonants (ghoṣavantaḥ)

yar: semivowels, stops, and voiceless spirants

yay: semivowels and stops

yañ: semivowels, nasal stops, jh bh

yam: semivowels and nasal stops

yaṇ: semivowels (y v r l [antahsthāh])

val: consonants other than y

vaś: voiced consonants other than y

ral: consonants other than y and v

may: stops other than ñ

ṅam: ṅ ṇ n

jhal: consonants other than nasal stops and semivowels

jhar: nonnasal stops, voiceless spirants

jhay: nonnasal stops

jhaś: voiced nonnasal stops

jhaṣ: voiced aspirated stops

bhaṣ: voiced aspirated stops other than jh (i.e., bh gh dh dh)

jaś: voiced unaspirated nonnasal stops (i.e., j b g ḍ d)

baś: voiced unaspirated nonnasal stops other than j (i.e., b g ḍ d)

khar: voiceless stops, voiceless spirants

khay: voiceless stops

chav: ch ṭh th c ṭ t

car: voiceless unaspirated stops, voiceless spirants

śal: spirants (ūṣmānaḥ)

śar: voiceless spirants

--- Cardona 1997 pp. 80-81