legacy of suspicion and mistrust of the
Mahanubhavs, perhaps rooted in their
anti-authoritarian history. For further
information see Anne Feldhaus, The
Religious System of the Mahanubhav
Sect, 1983.
Mahapataka
(“Great Sinner”) In the dharma litera-
ture, a person who has committed one
of the Four Great Crimes, namely mur-
dering a brahmin(brahmahatya), steal-
ing a brahmin’s gold (steya), drinking
liquor(surapana), or committing adul-
terywith the wife of one’s guru(guru-
talpaga). These crimes were considered
so heinous that the performer became
an outcast from society. Another indica-
tion of the gravity of these acts was that
their expiations (prayashchitta) were so
severe that they normally ended in
death; in some cases this outcome was
specifically prescribed. Aside from pre-
scribing such punishments for the actual
offenders, the dharma literature also
prescribed similar outcaste status for
anyone who knowingly associated with
such people for more than one year.
Mahapatra
(“great vessel”) In parts of northern
India, the name of a debased brahmin
group whose members gain their liveli-
hood primarily through receiving gifts,
particularly those given following a
death. Such brahmins do not actually
perform the rites for the dead, although
they are seen as symbolically represent-
ing the dead person. Their low status
stems from this connection with the
dead; the gifts they accept transfer the
inauspiciousnessof death from the
family to the Mahapatra. This latter
assumption is reflected in the group’s
name—they are “vessels” into which
one can deposit such inauspiciousness,
and thus be rid of it. Such constant asso-
ciation with death and its inauspicious
qualities is seen as a highly undesirable
way to make a living, giving this group
extremely low social status, despite
being brahmins by birth. Despite their
debased status, they are a necessary part
of traditional society, in that they serve
as the means through which such inaus-
piciousness can be removed.Mahapataka
The state of Maharashtra is home to the sculpted caves of Ellora.