The Sanskrit term Mṛtyuvañcana can be transliterated into English as Mrtyuvancana or Mrityuvancana, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Mrityuvanchana.

In Hinduism

Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

Source: academia.edu: Chapter Nineteen of the Kakṣapuṭatantra

Mṛtyuvañcana (मृत्युवञ्चन) refers to “cheating death” and is also known as Kālavañcana or Mṛtyuṃjaya (conquering death) as mentioned in the Kakṣapuṭatantra 19.42.—When a practitioner realizes that his death is approaching through signs of death, he should perform either of two kinds of sādhana. The first one is for avoiding death, and the second one is for preparing for death. Mṛtyuvañcana, Kālavañcana and Mṛtyuṃjay are all classified as part of the first kind. In the Kakṣapuṭatantra, it is said that yoga, abhyāsa (recitation), mantra and rasāyana are effective for cheating death.

The Kakṣapuṭatantra 19.43-46 introduces two kinds of yoga for cheating death (mṛtyuvañcana).

(a) In the first one, a practitioner visualizes Brahman, Viṣṇu or Rudra on a certain part of his body. Similar yogic practises, in which a practitioner visualizes deities or akṣaras on his body, widely appear in Tantric texts. The Kubjikāmatatantra 23.80-90 and the Saṃvarodayatantra 19.27-28 also mention such kinds of yogic practise for cheating death.

(b) In the second technique, a practitioner visualizes so-called Māyā, which is like a snake made of light, flashing upwards from the navel to brahmarandhra, i.e. an aperture in the crown of the head. The yoga is well known as Kuṇḍalinīyoga. Thus, we can see that both Khecarīmudrā and Kuṇḍalinīyoga are practised for cheating death.

context information

Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Mṛtyuvañcana (मृत्युवञ्चन) or Mṛtyuvañcanatārā refers to a deity from the White Tārā family, according to Buddhist Iconography.—The distinctive feature of this [Mṛtyuvañcana] form of Tārā is that she bears a wheel on her chest. She is absolutely unattended and sits in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude. [...] Strictly speaking, only those deities can be called Tārās to whom the mantra: “oṃ tārā tuttāre ture svāhā” is assigned. [...] From the colour of the different Tārās it will be possible to refer them [viz., Mṛtyuvañcana] to their respective Kulas or families presided over by the five Dhyāni Buddhas.

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Mṛtyuvañcana (मृत्युवञ्चन).—

1) an epithet of Śiva.

2) a raven.

Derivable forms: mṛtyuvañcanaḥ (मृत्युवञ्चनः).

Mṛtyuvañcana is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mṛtyu and vañcana (वञ्चन).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Mṛtyuvañcana (मृत्युवञ्चन).—m.

(-naṃ) 1. Siva. 2. A raven or a kind of crow, the carrion crow. 3. A tree, (Ægle marmelos.) E. mṛtyu death or decay, and vañcana deceiving.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Mṛtyuvañcana (मृत्युवञ्चन):—[=mṛtyu-vañcana] [from mṛtyu > mṛ] m. ‘death-cheater’, Name of Śiva, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

2) [v.s. ...] a raven, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

3) [v.s. ...] Aegle Marmelos, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Mṛtyuvañcana (मृत्युवञ्चन):—[mṛtyu-vañcana] (naḥ) 1. m. Shiva; a carrion crow; Ægle marmelos.

[Sanskrit to German]

Mrityuvancana in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Mrityu, Vancana.

Starts with: Mrityuvancanatara, Mrityuvancanopadesha.

Full-text: Miruttuvancanan, Kalavancana, Mrityunjaya, Bdellium, Ficus religiosa, Mrityuvancanatara, Guggula, Ficus glomerata, Ficus indica, Jonesia asoka, Madhuka, Bassia latifolia, Udumbara, Nyagrodha, Ashvattha, Kshiravriksha.

Relevant text

No search results for Mrityuvancana, Mrityu-vancana, Mṛtyu-vañcana, Mrtyu-vancana, Mṛtyuvañcana, Mrtyuvancana; (plurals include: Mrityuvancanas, vancanas, vañcanas, Mṛtyuvañcanas, Mrtyuvancanas) in any book or story.