aparihāṇa

 

Aparihāṇa means “non‑decline,” “not suffering loss,” or “the state of

not being deprived of anything,” formed from a- (not) + parihāṇa (loss, decline).

Core meaning

• The Sanskrit dictionary entry defines aparihāṇa (अपरिहाण) as “the state 
• of not being deprived of anything; not suffering a loss; not falling short”

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• A parallel definition from Yogawiki gives the same sense: 
• “das Nichterleiden einer Einbuße, das Nichtzukurzkommen”
• (“not suffering a loss, not falling short”)

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Etymology and structure

• a- = negative prefix (“not”).
• parihāṇa = “loss, decline, decrease,” attested in Sanskrit and Pali

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• Therefore a‑parihāṇa literally means “non‑decline” or “absence of loss.”
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Relation to parihāṇa

The base word parihāṇa means:

• “loss, decrease, decline, wasting away” in Pali and Sanskrit

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• It appears in Buddhist texts to describe spiritual decline (parihāṇadhamma = 
• “qualities leading to decline”).
  Thus aparihāṇa expresses the opposite: stability, non‑decline, continued 
• progress or maintenance without loss.
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Usage in religious and philosophical contexts

The term appears across several traditions

Wisdom Library

:

• Hinduism – used in general Sanskrit to indicate “no loss” or “no decline.”
• Pali parallels confirm the semantic field of “not falling away,” “not diminishing.”

Summary

Aparihāṇa is a classical Sanskrit noun meaning:

• non‑decline,
• absence of loss,
• not falling short,
• continued, undiminished state.

It is the negated form of parihāṇa, “decline, loss,” and is used in Hindu

 and Pali contexts to describe stability or non‑deterioration.