Vajra Mushti
Encyclopedia
Vajra Mushti
is a Sanskrit
bahuvrihi compound
translating to "one who is grasping a thunderbolt
" or "one whose clenched fist is like a diamond". It is a name of Indra
mentioned in the Ramayana
epic.
In Tantric Buddhism Vajra Mushti is the name of a specific mudra
(hand gesture). In Shingon Buddhism, it is also the name of a specific Bodhisattva
mentioned in the Vajrasekhara Sutra
.
is a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
bahuvrihi compound
Bahuvrihi
A bahuvrihi compound is a type of compound that denotes a referent by specifying a certain characteristic or quality the referent possesses. A bahuvrihi is exocentric, so that the compound is not a hyponym of its head...
translating to "one who is grasping a thunderbolt
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
" or "one whose clenched fist is like a diamond". It is a name of Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
mentioned in the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
epic.
In Tantric Buddhism Vajra Mushti is the name of a specific mudra
Mudra
A mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
(hand gesture). In Shingon Buddhism, it is also the name of a specific Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
mentioned in the Vajrasekhara Sutra
Vajrasekhara Sutra
The Vajrasekhara Sutra is an important Buddhist tantra used in the Vajrayana schools of Buddhism, particularly the Japanese Shingon school. It is also known as the...
.