Image title: Figure 13: Kartarimukha-hasta

Kartarimukha or Kartarimukhahasta refers to one of the various hand-poses (hastas or mudras.—Kashyapashilpa-shastra (64.15-16a) prescribes that the ring finger and the thumb remain bent touching each other and press against the palm of the hand. The little finger is slightly bent. The index and middle fingers are stretched upwards, holding an attribute between the index and middle fingers in which index and ring fingers resemble open pair (mouth) of scissors (kartari). Generally, the backhands are represented with this gesture holding any attributes like cakra, shankha, parashu, padma, kamandalu, etc. in this hand gesture.

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Both the Pancaratra and Vaikhanasa Agamas extensively deal with the technical features on temple art and architecture. Sometime , they detail certain stance or pose but do not mention the technical term: the same way.... In order to study and understand the iconography of the Vaishnava Agamas, is inevitable to consult the treatises on dance (Natya-shastra), sculpture (Shilpa-shastra) and architecture (Sthapatya or Vastu-shastra).