In Hinduism

Kavya (poetry)

Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Vajraloka (वज्रलोक) is the name of an ancient village, as mentioned in the second story of the Vetālapañcaviṃśati in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 76. Accordingly, “... as the ascetic was roaming about, he reached a village named Vajraloka. And there he entered as a guest the house of a certain Brāhman. And the Brāhman received him courteously”.

The story of Vajraloka is mentioned in the Vetālapañcaviṃśati (twenty-five tales of a vetāla) which is embedded in the twelfth book of the Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’). The main book is a famous Sanskrit epic detailing the exploits of prince Naravāhanadatta in his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The Kathā-sarit-sāgara is is explained to be an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā which consisted of 100,000 verses and in turn forms part of an even larger work containing 700,000 verses.

context information

Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: Google Books: An Illustrated History of the Mandala

Vajrālokā (वज्रालोका) is the name of the “Rishu-e” associated with the Śāradavajrī and Āloka (“light”): one of the Seventeen Viśuddhipadas (“stations of purity”), according to the Prajñāpāramitānayasūtra: an ancient Buddhist Tantric text recited daily in the Japanese Shingon sect which is closely related to the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha.—The seventeen-deity maṇḍala, representing the deification of the seventeen viśuddhipadas, corresponds to the great maṇḍala described in the Mahāsamayatattvavajra, which explains seventeen viśuddhipadas (twenty in the Chinese translation).

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Vajrāloka (वज्रालोक) refers to the “vajra-lamp” [i.e., oṃ vajrāloke hrīṃ], according to the Guru Mandala Worship (maṇḍalārcana) ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.

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.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Vajra, Loka, Aloka.

Full-text: Bhutishiva, Vishuddhipada.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Vajraloka, Vajrāloka, Vajrālokā, Vajra-loka, Vajra-aloka, Vajra-āloka, Vajra-ālokā; (plurals include: Vajralokas, Vajrālokas, Vajrālokās, lokas, alokas, ālokas, ālokās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)

Chapter LXXVI < [Book XII - Śaśāṅkavatī]

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