Agnicakra, Agni-cakra: 6 definitions

Introduction:

Agnicakra means something in Buddhism, Pali, 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 Agnichakra.

In Hinduism

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

[«previous next»] — Agnicakra in Shaktism glossary
Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Agnicakra (अग्निचक्र) refers to the “wheel of fire”, according to the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā, an expansion of the Kubjikāmatatantra: the earliest popular and most authoritative Tantra of the Kubjikā cult.—Accordingly, “(She is the principle called) the Doomsday Fire (vaḍava). Above the Trident, it is the triple principle and is located within power (kalā). The Doomsday Fire is the Wheel of Fire [i.e., agnicakra] in the centre of (the reality) within the triangle. The Trident consists of the three energies (tejas) and is the Circle of Moon, Sun, and Fire. The denote the principle of the Self, Vidyā, and Śiva. Power (kalā) is said to be Kuṇḍalinī. All of this is within that and its purity (śuci) is beyond doubt. [...]”.

Shaktism book cover
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.

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In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka Maṇḍala

Agnicakra (अग्निचक्र) refers to the “fire circle” positioned in the saṃbhoga-puṭa or ‘enjoyment layer’ of the Herukamaṇḍala: a large-scale and elaborate maṇḍala of Heruka, consisting of 986 deities, as found in the Ḍākārṇava chapter 15.—The Herukamaṇḍala consists of four layers (puṭa) consisting of concentric circles (cakra, totally one lotus at the center and 12 concentric circles, that is, 13 circles in total).

The agnicakra contains 36 pairs of Ḍākinī (sky-goer, khecarī) and Hero (fire Heruka, jvālāheruka):

  1. Devinī & Deva,
  2. Nāginī & Nāga,
  3. Yakṣī & Yakṣa,
  4. Bhūtī & Bhūta,
  5. Mātā & Māta,
  6. Bhāryā & Bhārya,
  7. Bhaginī & Bhagin,
  8. Duhitā & Duhita,
  9. Bhāgineyikā & Bhāgineyika,
  10. Pitur-bhaginī & Pitur-bhagin,
  11. Mātulasya-bhāryakā & Mātulasya-bhāryaka,
  12. Bhāryā-bhaginī & Bhāryā-bhagin,
  13. Mātā & Māta,
  14. Pitur-mātṛkā & Pitur-mātṛka,
  15. Bhāryā-pitāmahī & Bhāryā-pitāmaha,
  16. Mātur-mātā & Mātur-māta,
  17. Bāndhavī & Bhāndhava,
  18. Mātur-bhaginī & Mātur-bhagin,
  19. Bhāgineyikā & Bhāgineyika,
  20. Svamātur-mātābhaginī & Svamātur-mātābhagin,
  21. Bhāgineyī & Bhāgineya,
  22. Putrikā & Putra,
  23. Pitur-mātā & Pitur-māta,
  24. Pitāmahī & Pitāmaha,
  25. Pitulasya-bhāryakā & Putulasya-bhārya,
  26. Duhitāputrabhāryā & Duhitāputrabhārya,
  27. Bhāryāyā-bhaginī & Bhāryāyā-bhagin,
  28. Svapitur-bhaginī & Svapitur-bhagin,
  29. Putrī & Putra,
  30. Svagotrajā & Svagotraja,
  31. Bhrātāyā-bhāryā & Bhrātāyā-bhārya,
  32. Putrī & Putra,
  33. Putrasya-bhāryakā & Putrasya-bhārya,
  34. Duhitāyābhartṛmātuḥ-putrasyaiva-śvaśṛkā & Duhitāyābhartrimātuḥ-putrasyaiva-śvaśṛka,
  35. Duhitā & Duhita,
  36. Putrī & Putra,

They are red in color; they each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.

Source: MDPI Books: The Ocean of Heroes

Agnicakra (अग्निचक्र) refers to the “fire circle”, 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: “Now, here outside, another, I shall explain the Fire Circle (agnicakra), [which is] red in color and is blazing greatly. He should arrange excellent Yoginīs born of the gods’ clan and others on the thirty-six spokes.—[...] The thirty-six female messengers (Yoginīs) are [thus] made known. [They are] proclaimed to be red in color, and [their physical features] such as weapons are as before. [...]”.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
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.

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Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

[«previous next»] — Agnicakra in Marathi glossary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

agnicakra (अग्निचक्र).—n S A term of Yoga or abstract devotion. One of the defined regions of the body,--the centre of the forehead. 2 A term of astrology or divination. The sphere (heaven, earth, or hell) occupied by the divinity agni at any particular juncture or season.

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.

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Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Agnicakra in Sanskrit glossary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Agnicakra (अग्निचक्र):—[=agni-cakra] [from agni] n. the sphere or range of fire, [Indische Studien by A. Weber]

[Sanskrit to German]

Agnicakra in German

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.

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