Vayucakra, Vāyucakra, Vayu-cakra: 8 definitions
Introduction:
Vayucakra means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Vayuchakra.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaVāyucakra (वायुचक्र).—A hermit. It is mentioned in Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 38, Stanza 32, that this Vāyucakra was born from the semen kept in a pot by the hermit called Maṅkaṇaka. From this same pot some other hermits such as Vāyubala, Vāyujvāla and others were born. (See under Maṅkaṇaka, Para 3).
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Source: archive.org: Catalogue of Pancaratra Agama TextsVāyucakra (वायुचक्र) refers to a “two-spoked wheel”, as discussed in the ninth chapter of the Ahirbudhnyasaṃhitā, a Pāñcarātra work in 60 chapters dealing with topics such as Viṣṇu’s discus-power, the processes of creation and esoteric practices related to Sudarśana (such as mantras and yantras).—[Cf. the chapter aśuddhajagad-ādhāra-nirūpaṇa]: [...] Many are the cakra-wheels described, all of them seen as dynamically and intimately interrelated—just as wheels-within-wheels are. The thirty-spoked śakticakra, the six-spoked kālacakra, the eleven-spoked buddhicakra, the one-spoked ākāśacakra, the two-spoked vāyucakra—all of these (1-9) contained within the mahāvibhūticakra which itself contains innumerable spokes but which unifies within its circumscribed limits what has been created (10-35). Also described in this same symbolic way, as that which rolls out as Viṣṇu manifests a desire to withdraw His powers, is what is called the saṃhṛticakra (36-46).
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka MaṇḍalaVāyucakra (वायुचक्र) refers to the “wind circle” positioned in the dharma-puṭa or ‘dharma layer’ of the Herukamaṇḍala: a large-scale and elaborate maṇḍala of Heruka, consisting of 986 deities, as found in the Ḍākārṇava chapter 15.—The Herukamaṇḍala consists of four layers (puṭa) consisting of concentric circles (cakra, totally one lotus at the center and 12 concentric circles, that is, 13 circles in total).
The vāyucakra contains 36 pairs of Ḍākinī and Hero, collectively called ākāśagarbha:
- Garuḍī & Garuḍa,
- Haṃsī & Haṃsa,
- Citrī & Citra,
- Kākī & Kāka,
- Bakī & Baka,
- Tittirikā & Tittiri,
- Mayūrī & Mayūri,
- Tāmracūḍī & Tāmracūḍa,
- Gudapulikā & Gudapulika,
- Komalā & Komala,
- Pārāvatī & Pārāvata,
- Bṛhatkākī & Bṛhatkāka,
- Gaḍinī & Gaḍin,
- Kapiñjalī & Kapiñjala,
- Śukī & Śuka,
- Mantrī (Mantriṇī) & Mantra,
- Sārasā & Sārasa,
- Gṛdhrā & Gṛdhra,
- Ulūkī & Ulūka,
- Caṭakī & Caṭaka,
- Kāṣṭhacaṭakī & Kāṣṭhacaṭaka,
- Cakravākī & Cakravāka,
- Vṛkṣāraṇī & Vṛkṣāraṇa,
- Karkavī & Karkava,
- Jalakākī & Jalakāka,
- Kabilāḍī & Kabilāḍa,
- Nīlagrīvī & Nīlagrīva,
- Śārikā & Śārika,
- Senā & Sena,
- Kuṅkumalolā & Kuṅkumalola,
- Vāṭirī & Vāṭira,
- Kākajaṅghakī & Kākajaṅgha,
- Sāmā & Sāma,
- Lehapiṣṭā & Lehapiṣṭa,
- Daddarī & Daddara,
- Mṛgāriṇī & Mṛgāri,
They are dark blue in color; they each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.
Source: MDPI Books: The Ocean of HeroesVāyucakra (वायुचक्र) refers to the “wind circle”, according to the 10th-century Ḍākārṇava-tantra: one of the last Tibetan Tantric scriptures belonging to the Buddhist Saṃvara tradition consisting of 51 chapters.—Accordingly, “Outside that is the Wind Circle (vāyucakra), colored in variegated dark blue. [Figures] of Yoginīs should be placed in the middles of the adamantine spokes in order. The wise should also know the other name [of their consort heroes], ‘Ākāśagarbha’. [The yoginīs are]—[...] The Yoginīs’ circle is thus [described]. The color [of their bodies] is the same as [the color of] the circle of [their residential] place (variegated dark blue). [...]”.
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
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryvāyucakra (वायुचक्र).—n (S) The atmosphere.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishvāyucakra (वायुचक्र).—n The atmosphere. vāyucakraśāstra n Meteorology.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Vāyucakra (वायुचक्र):—[=vāyu-cakra] [from vāyu] m. Name of one of the 7 Ṛṣis (said to be fathers of rise Maruts), [Mahābhārata]
2) [v.s. ...] n. the range of the w°, [Vīracarita]
[Sanskrit to German]
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)
Full-text (+107): Vayujvala, Vayubala, Uluka, Baka, Cakravaka, Tittiri, Nilagriva, Jalakaka, Brihatkaki, Karkavi, Kakajanghaki, Daddari, Mrigarini, Dardari, Gudaculika, Hamsa, Kaki, Paravata, Sarasa, Tamracuda.
Relevant text
Search found 2 books and stories containing Vayucakra, Vayu-cakra, Vāyu-cakra, Vāyucakra; (plurals include: Vayucakras, cakras, Vāyucakras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
Section 38 < [Shalya Parva]