Khecarimudra, Khecarīmudrā, Khecari-mudra: 5 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
1. Yoga
2. Shaktism
Languages
1. Marathi
See also
Buy products

Introduction:

Khecarimudra means something in 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 Khecharimudra.

In Hinduism

Yoga (school of philosophy)

Source: Google Books: The Khecarividya of Adinatha

Khecarīmudrā (खेचरीमुद्रा):—In Śaivism, Khecarī is a specific type of etheric Yoginī, and a mudrā or mantra (vidyā) is named after the deiy or deities with which it is associated. Thus the Khecarīmudrā (written as a compound) of Śaivism can be both “the mudrā of Khecarī/the Khecarīs” (understood as a tatpuruṣa compound) and “the moving in the ether mudrā” (as a karmadhāraya [compound]). In the texts of haṭhayoga there are very few traces of the tantric Yoginī cult, Khecarī has an adjectival rather than substantive force and Khecarī mudrā (often written as two words) has only the latter meaning. Thus Ballāla understands Khecarīmudrā to be so called because it causes the tongue to move in the hollow above the uvula.

Source: DSpace at Pondicherry: Siddha Cult in Tamilnadu (yoga)

Khecarīmudrā (खेचरीमुद्रा).—Khecarīmudrā is the yogic process of drinking the nectar from the sahasrāra. The khecari-mudrā, is performed to stop the nectar of immortality (amrta or in Tamil, Kāyapāl), dripping away through the ‘tooth’ or the ‘palate centre (talu-cakra or uvula, known as the ‘royal tooth’), by turning the tongue back inside the palate and enter in the cavity leading into the skull.

To consume the nectar the practitioner have to turn his tongue back above the palate in order to drink the nectar of immortality dripping from the thousand petalled lotus at the crown (sahasrāra). the practice of turning the tongue back above the palate is known as the khecarī-mudrā in Haṭha-yōga

context information

Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

1) Khecarīmudrā (खेचरीमुद्रा) (or Ghaṭamudrā) is the name of the gesture (mudrā) associated with Oḍḍiyāna, one of the sacred seats (pīṭha), according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Note: Although not all the mantras uttered in the course of a ritual are accompanied by a corresponding gesture, many are, and so are commonly formed (baddha lit. ‘bound’) in quick succession. In this context, the gestures [i.e., khecarī] are, like the other constituents of the seats, channels through which the deity's energy flows and operates. The goddess, as pure spiritual energy, is herself Mudrā—Gesture.

1b Khecarīmudrā (खेचरीमुद्रा) or simply Khecarī is also mentioned as the Gesture (mudrā) associated with Oḍiyāna, one of the sacred seats (pīṭha), according to the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā, an expansion of the Kubjikāmatatantra: the earliest popular and most authoritative Tantra of the Kubjikā cult.

Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions (shaktism)

Khecarīmudrā (खेचरीमुद्रा) or simply Khecarī refers to one of the ten gestures (daśamudrā or mudrā-daśaka) of the Goddess Nityā Sundarī, according to the Kāmasiddhi-stuti (also Vāmakeśvarī-stuti) and the Vāmakeśvaratantra (also known as Nityāṣoḍaśikārṇava).—[...] Although the Vāmakeśvaratantra does not assign a place for the gestures (mudrā) in the maṇḍala, it does describe them and asks the worshipper to use them during the worship. As found in the third chapter of the Vāmakeśvaratantra, these ten gestures are [e.g., khecarīmudrā, ...]

context information

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

khēcarīmudrā (खेचरीमुद्रा).—f An attitude of the Yogi.

context information

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.

Relevant text

Search found 9 books and stories containing Khecarimudra, Khecarīmudrā, Khecari-mudra, Khecarī-mudrā, Khēcarīmudrā; (plurals include: Khecarimudras, Khecarīmudrās, mudras, mudrās, Khēcarīmudrās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Verse 177 [Śakti causes Bhairavatva in Śiva in monist Śaiva doctrine] < [Chapter 3 - Third Vimarśa]

Verse 44 [Transformation of Vyomeśvari] < [Chapter 2 - Second Vimarśa]

show preview

Chapter 17 - The Āmnāyas (traditions), Continued < [Summary of the Vārāhī Tantra]

Chapter 27 - The exposition on Mudrās and Bandhas < [Summary of the Vārāhī Tantra]

Chapter 26 - Haṭhayoga (according to the Haṭhayogapradīpikā) < [Summary of the Vārāhī Tantra]

show preview

Verse 36 < [Section 6]

show preview

Shandilya Upanishad of Atharvaveda, Chapter I

Dhyana Bindu Upanishad of Samaveda

Yogatattva Upanishad of Krishna-Yajurveda