Skt. mu^dra; Pali mudda^， transcribed as 牟陀罗 and 母陀罗. A sign or gesture made with the hands of a buddha or bodhisattva， representing some message of the Buddhist teaching， as seen in Buddhist iconography. Such gestures correspond to natural gestures （of teaching， protecting， and so on） and also to certain aspects of the Buddhist teaching or particular buddha depicted. Mu^dras became especially relevant in Maha^ya^na esoteric schools 密教， where they were used to accompany the performance of liturgies and the recitation of mantras 咒. Although mu^dras are made by joining the fingers together in a variety of ways， sometimes objects held in the hand such as a lotus flower， sword， and so forth， a regarded as being part of the mu^dra.