Alternative spellings of this word include Vamavart.

In Hinduism

Ayurveda (science of life)

Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)

Source: WorldCat: Rāj nighaṇṭu

Vāmāvartā (वामावर्ता) is another name for Āvartakī, a medicinal plant identified with Cassia auriculata, synonym of Senna auriculata (matura tea tree) from the Fabaceae or “legume” family of flowering plants, according to verse 3.135-136 of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu. The third chapter (guḍūcyādi-varga) of this book contains climbers and creepers (vīrudh). Together with the names Vāmāvartā and Āvartakī, there are a total of eleven Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.

context information

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Vāmāvartā (वामावर्ता) refers to “moving in an anticlockwise direction”, according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—[...] This, the Energy of Passion (madanakalā) is present within emanation. It is the Passion that is “the destruction of desire (kāma)”. It belongs to the goddess who, endowed with this energy, churns Bhairava, the Churner (manthāna). It is also called the power of bliss because it is the Point in the form of the ‘crooked Liṅga’, that is, the Divine Liṅga that generates supreme bliss. Indeed, the power of bliss is the female Divine Liṅga (divyaliṅgā). It is Rudra’s energy who, as the energy of the Void moving within it in an anticlockwise direction (vāmāvartā), assumes the ‘crooked body’ of the Triangle and is herself the female Triangle (trikoṇā).

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: MDPI Books: The Ocean of Heroes

Vāmāvarta (वामावर्त) refers to a “counterclockwise direction”, 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, “[...] Yoginīs are on the lotus petals [facing to the four cardinal directions] such as the east [and] to every intermediate [direction]. [Yoginīs] starting with Ḍākinī, twenty-four in total, are [arranged] by sixes. [...] Assuming the pratyālīḍha posture, [every Yoginī] wears a string of skulls and other [good ornaments]. [Every Yoginī] is to be discerned on [the lotus petals in] a counterclockwise direction (vāmāvarta), to have been born on the upper portion (summit) of Mt. Sumeru. *The lotus petals are thus [taught]* [...]”.

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

Vāmāvarta (वामावर्त).—

1) a conch-shell, the spiral of which runs from right to left.

Derivable forms: vāmāvartaḥ (वामावर्तः).

Vāmāvarta is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vāma and āvarta (आवर्त).

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

1) Vāmāvarta (वामावर्त):—[from vāma] mfn. winding or wound towards the left, [Bhāvaprakāśa]

2) [v.s. ...] turned towards the left or west, [Hemādri’s Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi]

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.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Vāmāvarta (वामावर्त) [Also spelled vamavart]:—(a) anti-clockwise, counter-clockwise, laevorotatory; ~[rttana] anti/counter-clockwise movement, laevorotation; ~[rttī] anti-clockwise, counter-clockwise, laevorotatory; sinistral.

context information

...

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Vama, Avarta.

Ends with: Nasavamavarta.

Full-text: Nasavamavarta, Vamavart, Avartaki, Somasurya, Muktiprada, Bhuktimukti, Akramastha, Bhuktiprada, Akrama, Avarta.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Vamavarta, Vama-avarta, Vāmāvarta, Vāmāvartā, Vāma-āvarta, Vāma-avartā; (plurals include: Vamavartas, avartas, Vāmāvartas, Vāmāvartās, āvartas, avartās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 2: Minerals (uparasa) (by Bhudeb Mookerjee)

Part 1 - Characteristics of Shankha (conch shell) < [Chapter XX - Uparasa (20b): Shankha (conch shell)]

show preview