Tathagatahridaya, Tathāgatahṛdaya, Tathagata-hridaya: 2 definitions
Introduction:
Tathagatahridaya means something in Buddhism, Pali, 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.
The Sanskrit term Tathāgatahṛdaya can be transliterated into English as Tathagatahrdaya or Tathagatahridaya, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on AgricultureTathāgatahṛdaya (तथागतहृदय) refers to the “heart of the Tathāgatas” (mudrā), according to the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, an ancient Buddhist ritual manual on agriculture from the 5th-century (or earlier), containing various instructions for the Sangha to provide agriculture-related services to laypeople including rain-making, weather control and crop protection.—Accordingly, [After the Vajrapāṇi asked the Bhagavān for instructions for protection of crops]: “Then the Bhagavān addressed Vajrapāṇi, the Lord of the Guhyakas, ‘Vajrapāṇi, there is the dhāraṇī called the Nāga Assailing and Impeding Vajra, that is the seal of the heart of the Tathāgatas (tathāgatahṛdaya-mudrā), uttered by former Tathāgatas, Arhats and Perfectly Awakened Ones. I will also utter it now. By this there will be a rapid guarding of all crops for the sake of warding off damage. [...]’”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryTathāgatahṛdaya (तथागतहृदय).—nt., heart of the T., name of a magic spell: Śikṣāsamuccaya 139.3 (it is quoted in lines 4—7).
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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