Pratyak in Sanskrit means inward; the opposite is parak (outward).
Every object is referred to as parak.
Our sages have studied these words very thoroughly. Whenever
you point your finger out and say ‘this, this, this’, that is called parak—outgoing
understanding of things.
Is this all the reality? No. Reality has parak and pratyak dimensions.
We study objects that are near, and we use instruments like
telescopes or radio telescopes to study objects that are far away, and
microscope to study smaller things. But all they study is parak—only objects.
If you want to study the subject, you have to change the
direction; the finger must point to oneself. This finger turning inward is
called pratyak. To turn to the pratyak direction is to discover an infinite
consciousness hidden in the human being.
Swami Ranganathananda
Swami Ranganathananda