the box owned by the mythological figure Pandora, which released all the sorrows of mankind into the world when opened; it also contained the spirit Hope-see Pandora
Because of this it has gained a number of other meanings:
... Key (http://members.tripod.com/~sarasvati/alphabet.html)
The Sanskrit Alphabet (http://www.americansanskrit.com/athome/online01/alphabet.html)
The earlies ...