Khecarividya, Khecarīvidyā, Khecarividyā, Khecari-vidya: 3 definitions

Introduction:

Khecarividya means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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 Khecharividya.

In Hinduism

Yoga (school of philosophy)

[«previous next»] — Khecarividya in Yoga glossary
Source: archive.org: Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali with Bhoja Vritti

Khecarividyā (खेचरिविद्या) is the name of a work dealing with the Yoga system of Philosophy. It deals with—Yoga exercises for attaining occult powers. By Śiva. Cf. Buhler’s Guzarat Catalogue. IV.

Source: Oxford university Research Archive: The Khecarīvidyā of Ādinātha

The Khecarīvidyā of Ādinātha is an early haṭha-yogic text which describes the physical practice of khecarīmudrā. There is a commentary by Ballāla, called the Bṛhatkhecarīprakāśa. By the time that the text achieved its greatest fame as an authority on the haṭha-yogic practice of khecarīmudrā most of its Kaula features had been expunged so as not to offend orthodox practitioners of haṭha-yoga and a short fourth chapter on magical herbs had been added.

The second introductory chapter concerns the physical practice. It starts by examining textual evidence in the Pali canon and Sanskrit works for practices similar to the haṭha-yogic khecarīmudrā before the time of composition of the Khecarīvidyā and then discusses the non-physical khecarīmudrās described in tantric works.

Yoga book cover
context information

Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Khecarividya in Sanskrit glossary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum

Khecarīvidyā (खेचरीविद्या) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—yoga. K. 38. B. 4, 2. Rādh. 25. 41.
—from Mahākālayogaśāstra by Ādinātha. Cop. 9. Peters. 1, 117.

[Sanskrit to German]

Khecarividya 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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