pratyAhAraH 1 Drawing back, marching back, retreat. 2 Keeping back, withholding. 3 Restraining the organs. 4 Dissolution of the world, 5 (In gram. ) The comprehension of several letters or affixes into one syllable, effected by combining the first letter of a Sūtra with its final indicatory letter, or in the case of several Sūtras, with the final letter of the last member; thus aR is the pratyAhAra of the Sūtra aiuR; ac (vowels) of the four Sūtras aiuR , fxk, eoN, EOc; hal of the consonants; al of all letters. 6 Abridgment.