The Bajoran word for a person's life force or spirit, which is nourished by the Prophets and can be sensed by religious leaders through touching the ear.
In the Bajoran faith the pagh is the spiritual energy of a living being. It is replenished by the Prophets. Vedeks and kais are able to feel its strength by taking hold of a person's ear, which is one reason Bajorans wear a ritual earring.
The idea is introduced in Emissary. When Benjamin Sisko meets Kai Opaka for the first time, she grips his ear, reads his pagh and recognises him as the one who will find the Celestial Temple. Later religious figures do the same, among them Bareil and Winn.
Pagh is spoken of throughout Deep Space Nine as something that can be strong or weak, at peace or troubled. Kira Nerys's faith is often expressed through it, and the Orbs are said to speak to it.