Tṛtīyopadeśaḥ (Mudrā) · Verse 47
चित्तं चरति खे यस्माज्जिह्वा चरति खे गता | तेनैषा खेचरी नाम मुद्रा सिद्धैर्निरूपिता
cittaṃ carati khe yasmāj jihvā carati khe gatā | tenaiṣā khecarī nāma mudrā siddhair nirūpitā
Because the mind moves in space when the tongue moves towards space, that is why this mudrā has been called Khecarī by the siddhas.
This verse explains the etymology of Khecarī.Khe means “in space” or “in the sky”;carī means “to move.”Thus, khecarī is “she who moves in space.”
Jihvā carati khe gatā — the tongue moves into space.Physically, the tongue enters the nasopharyngeal cavity, the internal “space” of the skull.But the true meaning is more subtle.
Cittaṃ carati khe — the mind moves in space.When the tongue reaches its position, the mind enters ākāśa — the pure space of consciousness.The siddhas (siddhair nirūpitā) named this mudrā for its effect: transporting consciousness into infinite space.