mudra

See also mudrā

English

WOTD – 23 October 2007    

Wikipedia

Sculpture detail showing use of mudra (1)

Alternative forms

• mudrā

Etymology

From Sanskrit मुद्रा (mudrā) (seal).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /muːˈdrɑː/, /mʊˈdrɑː/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  ,

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː

Noun

mudra (plural mudras)

1. (dance, art) Any of several formal symbolic hand postures used in classical dance of India and in Hindu and Buddhist iconography.
   • 1996 — Victor Pelevin, Crystal World (1994); translated from Russian by Andrew Bromfield.

     The king of creation would not have curved his palm into the likeness of a Hindu mudra in an attempt to protect the tiny launching pad on his thumbnail from the dank wind.

2. (Hinduism) Formal body positions and postures used in yoga and meditation.
   • 1915 — Swami Swatmarama, Hatha Yoga Pradipika (14th c.), translated by Pancham Sinh.

     The Kechari Mudra is accomplished by thrusting the tongue into the gullet, by turning it over itself, and keeping the eyesight in the middle.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Translations

symbolic hand postures of India

• Czech: mudra (cs) f
• Dutch: mudra (nl)
• French: mudrâ (fr)
• German: Mudra (de)
• Hindi: मुद्रा (hi) (mudrā) f
• Japanese: 印相 (ja)
• Portuguese: mudra (pt) f

• Russian: мудра (ru) (mudra)
• Sanskrit: मुद्रा (sa) (mudrā) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мудра (sh) f

  Roman: mudra (sh) f

• Spanish: mudrá (es) m, mudra (es) m
• Urdu: مدرا (ur) (mudrā) f

See also

• asana
• wai

Anagrams

• Murad

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Czech

Noun

mudra f

1. mudra

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Norwegian

Etymology

From Sanskrit मुद्रा (mudrā) (seal).

Noun

mudra n (definite singular mudraet, indefinite plural mudraer, definite plural mudraene)

1. mudra

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Serbo-Croatian

Noun

mudra f (Cyrillic spelling мудра)

1. mudra