Pradhana

(“principal”) In the Samkhya philosophical school, pradhana is another
name for prakrti, the “primal matter”
that the Samkhyas consider the first
principle from which all material things
have evolved. In the secret, ritually
based religious practice known as
tantra, the word pradhana is used to
denote the goddess Shakti, as the active
principle behind the formation of the
universe. Grammatically, the word is
feminine, indicating a connotation of
fertility and fecundity.