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Kartika (knife)
Buddhist ceremonial flaying knife / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A kartika or drigug (Sanskrit: kartari; Tibetan: གྲི་གུག་, Wylie: gri-gug,[1] or kartrika in Nepal[2]) is a small, crescent-shaped, hand-held ritual flaying knife used in the tantric ceremonies of Vajrayana Buddhism. The kartari is said to be "one of the quintessential attributes of the wrathful Tantric deities."[3] It is commonly known as the "knife of the dakinis."[1] Its shape is similar to the Inuit ulu or woman's knife, which is used for many things including cleaning skins.
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While the kartika is normally held in the right hand of a dakini in Vajrayana iconography and spiritual practice, occasionally it can be seen being held by esoteric male deities,[4] such as certain forms of Yamantaka.[5] It is also found frequently in the iconography of the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual practice of Chöd.