Alternative spellings of this word include Vachamatra.

In Hinduism

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Vācāmātra (वाचामात्र) refers to the “power to kill by speech alone”.—[...] Vācāsiddhi can also be understood to be, as its name implies, the power to accomplish anything one says. [...] This is also what the Accomplishment of Speech [i.e., vācāsiddhi] appears to be in a passage in the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā where it is listed amongst several other accomplishments. This supposition is supported by the contiguity of the following three accomplishments, which appear to be extensions of this one. These three accomplishments, political, shamanic and magical, are: royal power (māhendrya), the power to assume any form at will, and black magic (indrajāla-pravartana), respectively. An example of the last is the power to kill by speech alone (vācāmātra—vācāmātreṇa) the adept is said to acquire by the magical rite (prayoga) of the goddess Caṇḍālī.

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.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: ORA: Amanaska (king of all yogas): (Tibetan Buddhism)

Vācāmātra (वाचामात्र) refers to “using one’s speech”, according to verse 14.24bd-27 of the Laghuśaṃvara, an ancient Buddhist Yoginī Tantra.—Accordingly, [while describing the Siddhi of speech]: “The Sādhaka [who has] the Siddhi of speech can certainly attract a king or queen by [merely] thinking [it]. He quickly controls gods, demons and men. When angry, he can kill with his speech and drive away his adversary. The practitioner can thus effect a curse with his speech. And he can stop a river, a cart, a machine [like a water-wheel,] the ocean, elephants and horses, clouds, a man or bird merely by means of his speech (vācāmātra). He achieves everything which he desires by his speech”.

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: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Vācāmātra (वाचामात्र).—[neuter] = vāṅmātra.*

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: Matra, Vaca.

Starts with: Vacamatraka.

Full-text: Vaca, Speech.

Relevant text

No search results for Vacamatra, Vācāmātra, Vaca-matra, Vācā-mātra; (plurals include: Vacamatras, Vācāmātras, matras, mātras) in any book or story.