Pasha

(“noose”) In Indian iconography, one of
the weapons carried by some of the
divinities, especially Ganesh and Yama.
For Ganesh, as the “Lord of Obstacles,”
the noose signifies his ability to bind
(and release) obstacles, whereas Yama,
the god of death, uses the noose to draw
the soul from the body at the time of
death. In the Shaiva Siddhanta religious
community, pasha is also the name
given to Shiva’s power of illusion (maya),
through which he entraps and enthralls
unenlightened people (pashu). The triad
of pasha, pashu, and Shiva as lord (pati)
are the defining features of the Shaiva
Siddhanta school.