Atita, Atīta: 23 definitions
Introduction:
Atita means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Atit.
In Hinduism
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Source: Shodhganga: Iconographical representations of ŚivaAtīta (अतीत) or Atītāgama refers to one of upāgamas (supplementary scriptures) of the Sahasrāgama which is one of the twenty-eight Siddhāntāgama: a classification of the Śaiva division of Śaivāgamas. The Śaivāgamas represent the wisdom that has come down from lord Śiva, received by Pārvatī and accepted by Viṣṇu. The purpose of revealing upāgamas (e.g., Atīta Āgama) is to explain more elaborately than that of mūlāgamas (e.g., Sahasra-āgama) and to include any new idea if not dealt in mūlāgamas.
Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric TraditionsAtīta (अतीत) refers to “(that which is) beyond (the mental dispositions)”, according to the Svacchandatantra 11.182-184.—Accordingly, “It is called Atimārga because it is beyond (atīta) the mental dispositions. It is taught as ‘atimārga’ because the doctrine is beyond the worlds. And the lokas are designated ‘bound souls’, in the cycle of birth and death. They who are established in the atimārga, [that is to say] the followers of the observance of the skull and the Pāśupatas, they are to be known as beyond them. There is no rebirth for them and they abide in [the reality of] Īśvara, in [the world of] Dhruva”.

Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationAtīta (अतीत) refers to “beyond” (e.g., one who is beyond Prakṛti), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.13 (“Śiva-Pārvatī dialogue”).—Accordingly, as Pārvatī said to Śiva: “O Yogin, O lord Śiva, based on what you said how can that Prakṛti cease to exist and how can you be considered beyond that Prakṛti [i.e., atīta—prakṛtirna syādatītastāṃ]? You shall ponder over this and say with reference to the facts as they are. All these (the universe etc) are bound by Prakṛti continuously. Hence you shall not say anything, not do anything. Know that speaking, doing etc. is a Prākṛta activity”.

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Source: Google Books: ManthanabhairavatantramAtīta (अतीत) or Atītabheda refers to the “modality of Atīta” and represents one of the six modalities (ṣaṭprakāra) of Kula, according to the Kularatnoddyota verse 1.30-35ab.—Accordingly, “[...] And that also, O fair lady, consisting of six authorities, is two-fold, divided into prior and subsequent. O most excellent daughter of the mountains, this Kula has six modalities, namely, Ānanda, Āvali, Prabhu and Yogin, in due order, (along with) Atīta [e.g., atīta-bheda], and the one called Pāda. Such is the Kula tradition characterized by supreme non-duality”.

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra1) Atīta (अतीत) refers to the “past time”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 2).—Accordingly, “Present time (pratyutpanna) is like a ball of clay (mṛnpiṇḍa), past time (atīta) like the dust of the earth (pṛthivīrajas) and future time (anāgata) like the vase (ghata). Since time is eternal (nitya), the past does not make the future, for according to your texts, time is a single substance (ekadravya). This is why the past does not make the future or the present, for they are confused with the past. In the past there is no future. That is why there is no future or present”.
2) Atīta (अतीत) or Atītacitta refers to the “past mind”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 31).—Accordingly, “[...] The past mind (atīta-citta), being already destroyed (bhagna), does not experience the happiness; the future mind (anāgata-citta), being not yet born (utpanna), does not experience the happiness; the present mind (pratyutpanna-citta), being momentary (ekakṣaṇika) and fleeting (kṣipra), does not have the awareness to experience the happiness”.
Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the GaganagañjaparipṛcchāAtīta (अतीत) refers to the “past”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, as the Bodhisattva Maitreya addressed himself to the Lord: “Lord, I will protect this unexcelled treasury of the Dharma Jewel for the sake of the complete extinction of the Tathāgata. Why is that? Because, Lord, this is the true dharma of myself and the Awakened Lords in the past (atīta), present (pratyutpanna) and future (anāgata). Lord, when I have dwelled in the Tuṣita Heaven, I have strived for protecting, upholding, and keeping these sūtras for a long time. [...]”.

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgrahaAtīta (अतीत) or Atītādhvan refers to the “past time” and represents one of the “three times” (adhvan) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 86). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., atīta). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.
India history and geography
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Indian Epigraphical GlossaryAtīta.—(IA 17), ‘expired’; cf. Śaka-nṛpa-kāl-ātīta- saṃvatsareṣu. The word gateṣu, sometimes additionally used, refers to the expiry of the expired years. Note: atīta is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionaryatīta : (adj.) past; gone by. (m.), the past.
Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English DictionaryAtīta, (adj. -n.) (Sk. atīta, ati + ita, pp. of i. Cp. accaya & ati eti) 1. (temporal) past, gone by (cp. accaya 1) (a) adj. atītaṃ addhānaṃ in the time which is past S. III, 86; A. IV, 219; V, 32.—Pv. II, 1212 (atītānaṃ, scil. attabhāvāuaṃ, pariyanto na dissati); khaṇâtīta with the right moment past Dh. 315 = Sn. 333; atītayobbana he who is past youth or whose youth is past Sn. 110.—(b) nt. the past: atīte (Loc.) once upon a time J. I, 98 etc. atītaṃ āhari he told (a tale of) the past, i.e. a Jātaka J. I, 213, 218, 221 etc.—S. I, 5 (atītaṃ nânusocati); A. III, 400 (a. eko anto); Sn. 851, 1112. In this sense very frequently combd. with or opposed to anāgata the future & paccuppanna the present, e.g. atītânāgate in past & future S. II, 58; Sn. 373; J. VI, 364. Or all three in ster. combn. atīt’-anāgata-paccuppanna (this the usual order) D. III, 100, 135; S. II, 26, 110, 252; III, 19, 47, 187; IV, 4 sq. ; 151 sq. ; A. I, 264 sq. , 284; II, 171, 202; III, 151; V, 33; It. 53; Nd2 22; but also occasionally atīta paccuppanna anāgata, e.g. PvA. 100.—2. (modal) passed out of, having overcome or surmounted, gone over, free from (cp. accaya 2) S. I, 97 (maraṇaṃ an° not free from death), 121 (sabbavera-bhaya°); A. II, 21; III, 346 (sabbasaṃyojana°); Sn. 373 (kappa°), 598 (khaya°, of the moon = ūnabhāvaṃ atīta SnA. 463); Th. 1, 413 (c. Abl.) — 3. (id.) overstepping, having transgressed or neglected (cp. accaya 3) Dh. 176 (dhammaṃ).

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryatīta (अतीत).—p (S) Passed; gone over or by--space, time, pleasure, pain &c. kāmātīta, krōdhātatī, lōbhā- tīta, mōhātīta, viṣayātīta &c. Freed from the domination of lust, anger, cupidity &c. jarātīta Exempt from decay; dēhātīta Disembodied; dṛśyā- tīta Disappeared, gone beyond sight; vayātīta Aged; kālātīta, dēśātīta, duḥkhātīta, sukhātīta, bōdhātīta, buddhyātīta, with countless others. Of such compounds only the very commonest are inserted.
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atīta (अतीत).—m (atithi S) A person dropping in (i. e. coming uninvited) at the meal-hour. Ex. rupa atitācēṃ dharilēṃ || kāpaṭya karuna tē vēḷēṃ || Also tujalāgīṃ khōḷambalā a0 || māvuliyē mājhē yēī dhāvata ||
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishatīta (अतीत).—p Passed. m See atithi.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryAtīta (अतीत).—p. p. [i-kta.]
1) Gone beyond, crossed.
2) (Used actively) (a) exceeding, going beyond, avoiding, overstepping, having passed over or neglected &c., with acc. or in comp.; परिच्छेदातीतः (paricchedātītaḥ) Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 1.3 beyond or past definition; संख्यामतीत (saṃkhyāmatīta) or संख्यातीत (saṃkhyātīta) beyond enumeration, innumerable; तामतीतस्य ते (tāmatītasya te) Meghadūta 29; यमुनामतीतमथ शुश्रुवानमुम् (yamunāmatītamatha śuśruvānamum) Śiśupālavadha 13.1; वयोतीतः (vayotītaḥ) Kirātārjunīya 11. 2 past youth, advanced in years; सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते (sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate) Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 14.25; कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन् गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो (kairliṅgaistrīn guṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho) 14.21; बाणपथमतीतः क्रव्यभोजनः (bāṇapathamatītaḥ kravyabhojanaḥ) V.5 gone beyond the reach of arrows, past bowshot; अतीतनौकेऽतिनु (atītanauke'tinu) Ak. who has left the boat, i.e. landed, disembarked. -(b) Gone by, passed away, past (as time &c.); अतीते निशान्ते (atīte niśānte) Daśakumāracarita 11; असन्निवृत्त्यै तदतीतमेव (asannivṛttyai tadatītameva) Ś.6.1; °अनागत- वर्तमानवेदिना (anāgata- vartamānavedinā) Pañcatantra (Bombay) 1; अतीते वर्षुके काले (atīte varṣuke kāle) Bhaṭṭikāvya 7.18; °शैशवाः (śaiśavāḥ) Ms. 8.27; अतीते कार्यशेषज्ञः शत्रुभिर्नाभिभूयते (atīte kāryaśeṣajñaḥ śatrubhirnābhibhūyate) Manusmṛti 7.179; °लाभस्य च रक्षणार्थम् (lābhasya ca rakṣaṇārtham) Pañcatantra (Bombay) 2.182 of past gains; वेत्ति जन्मान्तराण्यतीतानि (vetti janmāntarāṇyatītāni) K.46. -(c) Dead, deceased; सब्रह्मचारिण्येकाहमतीते क्षपणं स्मृतम् (sabrahmacāriṇyekāhamatīte kṣapaṇaṃ smṛtam) Manusmṛti 5.71; अप्रजायामतीतायां भर्तुरेव तदिष्यते (aprajāyāmatītāyāṃ bhartureva tadiṣyate) 9.196,197.
-tam The past, past time.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryAtīta (अतीत).—mfn.
(-taḥ-tā-taṃ) 1. Passed, gone. 2. Passed away, deceased, dead. 3. Liberated from worldly restraint. 4. Surpassed, gone over or beyond. E. ati, and ita gone.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryAtīta (अतीत).—[adjective] gone away, passed, dead; going beyond, transcending, surpassing (—°).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Atīta (अतीत):—[from atī] mfn. gone by, past, passed away, dead
2) [v.s. ...] one who has gone through or got over or beyond, one who has passed by or neglected
3) [v.s. ...] negligent
4) [v.s. ...] passed, left behind
5) [v.s. ...] excessive
6) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a particular Śaiva sect
7) [v.s. ...] n. the past.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Goldstücker Sanskrit-English DictionaryAtīta (अतीत):—I. m. f. n.
(-taḥ-tā-tam) 1) Passed, gone away.
2) Dead, deceased.
3) Gone beyond, overcome, exceeded, surpassed. (In this sense atīta may enter into composition with a word depending upon it in the accusative, f. i. duḥkhamatīta or duḥkhātīta.)
4) Very much, excessive. Ii. m.
(-taḥ) The modern name of a class of ascetics belonging to the Dāsnāmiṃs, one of the principal sects who adore Śiva as the supreme deity. E. i with ati, kṛt aff. kta.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryAtīta (अतीत):—[atī+ta] (taḥ-tā-taṃ) a. Gone, past.
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)Atīta (अतीत) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Aīa, Āiya, Tīa.
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionaryAtīta (अतीत) [Also spelled atit]:—(a and nm) (the) past; (adv) beyond; ~[sāpekṣa] retrospective.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusAtīta (ಅತೀತ):—
1) [adjective] exceeding, going or being beyond or transcending the mind.
2) [adjective] gone beyond boundary, limit or norm.
3) [adjective] deprived of life; having died; dead.
4) [adjective] lost; elapsed.
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Atīta (ಅತೀತ):—
1) [noun] the action, behaviour or conduct that is turned aside or away from what is good, true, natural or morally right; perverted act; misdeed; improper act.
2) [noun] one who has subdued the senses.
3) [noun] a monk of highest order who is beyond all the worldly attachments.
4) [noun] a posited object or event as it appears in itself independent of perception by the senses; noumenon.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+30): Atitaabhyagata, Atitabhava, Atitabheda, Atitabuddha, Atitacitta, Atitadhvan, Atitagraha, Atitai, Atitajanma, Atitaka, Atitakala, Atitakarman, Atitakriye, Atitali, Atitama, Atitamam, Atitamatha, Atitamra, Atitamsa, Atitamsu.
Ends with (+252): Abbhatita, Abhighatita, Abhijatita, Abhyatita, Acarapatita, Acharapatita, Adhahpatita, Adhvatita, Agghatita, Aghatita, Aghatitaghatita, Amritaghatita, Anatita, Anavasarapatita, Anavrishtipatita, Antahpatita, Antarapatita, Antaratita, Antyajatita, Anupatita.
Full-text (+117): Atitakala, Aia, Samatita, Atitanauka, Kalatita, Tia, Duhkhatita, Buddhyatita, Gunatita, Abhyatita, Vagatita, Apakranta, Anusocati, Atitamsa, Atitaabhyagata, Kalpatita, Mutratita, Ati-eti, Vyatita, Bodhatita.
Relevant text
Search found 30 books and stories containing Atita, Atīta, Ātīta; (plurals include: Atitas, Atītas, Ātītas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Shrimad Bhagavad-gita (by Narayana Gosvami)
Verse 4.22 < [Chapter 4 - Jñāna-Yoga (Yoga through Transcendental Knowledge)]
Verse 14.21 < [Chapter 14 - Guṇa-traya-vibhāga-yoga]
Verses 14.22-25 < [Chapter 14 - Guṇa-traya-vibhāga-yoga]
Abhidhamma in Daily Life (by Nina Van Gorkom)
Conditions (by Nina van Gorkom)
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 2.4.266 < [Chapter 4 - Vaikuṇṭha (the spiritual world)]
Verse 2.1.189 < [Chapter 1 - Vairāgya (renunciation)]
Verse 2.3.9 < [Chapter 3 - Bhajana (loving service)]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 1.4.21 < [Chapter 4 - Description of Questions About the Lord’s Appearance]
Verse 5.20.51 < [Chapter 20 - The Liberation of Ṛbhu Muni During the Rāsa-dance Festival]
A Manual of Abhidhamma (by Nārada Thera)
Summary of Objects < [Chapter III - Miscellaneous Section]
Diagram IX < [Chapter IV - Analysis of Thought-Processes]
18 Types of Rootless Consciousness < [Chapter I - Different Types of Consciousness]