Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism

109 Mahä-puräæa

medhaparva (horse-sacrifice book),

Äÿramaparva (hermitage book); Mau-

salaparva(maces book); Mahäprasthä-

nikaparva(great journey book); Svargä-

rohaæaparva(ascent to heaven book).

Mahä-bhä•ya (‘great commentary’)

A lengthy commentary on PÄŒINÏ’s

grammar, ascribed to PATAÑJALI, in

response to KÄTYÄYANA’s critique.

Mahä-deva (‘great god’)

An epithet of ŸIVA.

Mahadevan, T. M. P.

(1911–92?)

Prominent Indian philosopher. He was

the founder and director of the

Radhakrishnan Institute for Advanced

Study in Philosophy at the University of

Madras, and the author of numerous

books and articles, especially on

ADVAITA VEDÄNTA: Gauõapada – a

study in Early Advaita (1952), Ten

Saints of India(1961).

Mahä-devï (‘great goddess’)

An epithet of PÄRVATÏ.

Mahä-käla (‘great time’)

An epithet of ŸIVA, as the destroyer.

mahä-mantra (‘the great formula’)

Also called the ‘mantra of sixteen

names’, an invocation of Vi•æu (Hari),

whose repetition (JAPA) is considered

most effective to win God’s grace:

Hare Räma Hare Räma

Räma Räma Hare Hare

Hare Kø•æa Hare Kø•æa

Kø•æa Kø•æa Hare Hare

Mahä-näräyaæa Upani•ad

A late Upani•ad belonging to the Black

YAJURVEDA, the end portion of the

Taittirïya-Äraæyaka, containing many

details of the daily observances of

Hindus. (See alsoTAITTIRÏYA.)

Mahä-nirväæa Tantra

An 18th-century text, which attempts to

reform certain aspects of TANTRA(2).

mahant

Supervisor of a temple or monastery.

mahä-pätakas (‘great sins’)

Offences against the moral and social

law that are (in theory) unforgivable, or

can be atoned for only by death. The

five standard mahäpätakas are: brah-

maæahatya(killing a brahmin; killing

an unborn child or a pregnant woman);

sürapäna (taking intoxicating sub-

stances); steya (major theft of gold);

guruvaöganagana (‘violating the GURU’s

bed’, also interpreted as incest);

mahäpätakasaƒsarga (association with

great sinners). Some sources add specific

mahäpätakas for KÆATRIYAS (fleeing

from a battlefield or meting out unjust

punishment), for VAIŸYAS(using false

scales and false weights), and for

SÜDRAS(selling meat, injuring a brah-

min, having intercourse with a brahmin

woman, drinking milk from a reddish

cow). (See alsoUPA-PÄTAKAS.)

Mahä-pralaya (‘great dissolution’)

The total annihilation of the material

universe at the end of a KALPA. Also

called saƒhära, k•iti.

Mahä-puräæa (‘great Purana’)

There are eighteen Mahäpuräæas, sub-

divided into sättvika or Vai•æava

(Vi•æu, Bhägavata, Näradïya, Garuõa,

Padma, Varäha), räjasika or Brahmä

(Brahmä, Brahmäæõa, Brahmavasivärta,

Märkaæõeya, Bhavi•ya, Vämana) and

tämasika or Ÿaiva (Ÿiva, Liöga, Skanda,

Agni, Matsya, Kürma). Their content is

Encyclo - Letter M 10/2/03 9:50 am Page 109