ABSTRACT
The Khecarīvidyā is a dialogue between Śiva and his consort, Devī. It calls itself a tantra 1 and consists of 284 verses divided into four paṭalas. In the colophons of its manuscripts its authorship is ascribed to Ādinātha, the first of the gurus of the Nātha order, who is usually identified with Śiva. 2 The first paṭala (77 verses) starts with praise of the text itself, followed by a coded description of the khecarīmantra and detailed instructions for the key physical practice of the text. This practice is called khecarīmudrā, 3 and involves the freeing and lengthening of the tongue of the yogin in order that it might be turned back and inserted above the soft palate to break through the brahmadvāra, the door of Brahmā, so that the yogin can drink the amṛta, the nectar of immortality, which is stored behind it. The second paṭala (124 verses) describes the different kalās in the body where amṛta is stored, the rewards to be gained from accessing the amṛta in these kalās, and how to cure the problems that may arise in the course of the practice. The third paṭala (69 verses) describes practices involving the insertion of the tongue into the abode of Brahmā and the raising of Kuṇḍalinī in order to flood the body with amṛta and defeat death by temporarily or permanently leaving the body. The short fourth paṭala (14 verses) describes herbal preparations which can effect various magical results (siddhis) for the yogin.
