Alternative spellings of this word include Chaturmaharaja.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Cāturmahārāja (चातुर्महाराज) refers to the “four great kings”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then the bodhisatva Gaganagañja addressed himself to the Lord: ‘O Lord, please give the Tathāgata’s blessing over this exposition of the dharma so that, in the latter time, in the latter age, it will be disseminated and practiced throughout the Jambūdvīpa’. The Lord said: ‘For that reason, son of good family, I will invoke the Four Great Kings (cāturmahārāja) so that they will come and strive to keep this exposition of the dharma for a long time with detailed and analytical explanation’”.

Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions (mahayana)

Caturmahārāja (चतुर्महाराज) refers to the “four great kings”, according to the sixth chapter of the Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra, which teaches the protection of the state for the mutual benefit of the Buddhist Sangha and the monarch.—Accordingly, the Caturmahārājaparivarta or Chapter on the Four Great Kings, conveys an explicit message: those kings (manuṣyarāja) who venerate the Suvarṇaprabhāsottama and support the Buddhist Sangha will be protected from hostile armies and other dangers by the Four Great Kings (caturmahārāja), and their countries will exist in highest state of harmony. Simultaneously, those who ignore this tradition will face decline.

These eminent Yakṣas are celestial guardians of the cardinal directions, along with their retinues in Jambudvīpa:

1. Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
2. Virūḍhaka,
3. Virūpākṣa and
4. Vaiśravaṇa.

Note: From the Pali Āṭānāṭiya-sutta (Dīgha-nikāya 32) to various Sanskrit rakṣā texts, they often take the role of chief protectors. Note that the Four Great Kings guarded the cardinal points at the great stūpa of Bhārhut, circa 100BCE (Skilling 1992, 163). For a study of the Sanskrit Āṭānāṭīya/Āṭānāṭikasūtra, see Sander 2007.

context information

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.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Caturmahārāja (चतुर्महाराज):—[=catur-mahā-rāja] [from catur > catasṛ] m. [plural] the 4 great kings or guardians of the lowest of the 6 sensuous heavens, [Horace H. Wilson]

context information

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.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Maharaja, Catur.

Starts with: Caturmaharajakayika, Caturmaharajakayikacakravartin, Caturmaharajakayiki, Caturmaharajaparivarta.

Full-text: Four Great Kings, Virudhaka, Vaishravana, Dhritarashtra, Virupaksha.

Relevant text

Search found 3 books and stories containing Caturmaharaja, Caturmahārāja, Catur-maharaja, Catur-mahārāja; (plurals include: Caturmaharajas, Caturmahārājas, maharajas, mahārājas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)

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The gods of northern Buddhism (by Alice Getty)

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A Dictionary Of Chinese Buddhist Terms (by William Edward Soothill)

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