Mahapatha, Mahāpatha, Maha-patha: 10 definitions
Introduction
Introduction:
Mahapatha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi. 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.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexMahāpatha (महापथ).—Grand trunk roads as frequented by Piśācas.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 7. 405; 49. 14.

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.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionarymahāpatha : (m.) high road.

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 Dictionarymahāpatha (महापथ).—m S The great road, i.e. death; "the way of all the earth."
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 dictionaryMahāpatha (महापथ).—
1) chief road, principal street, high or main road; संतानकाकीर्णमहापथं तत् (saṃtānakākīrṇamahāpathaṃ tat) Ku.7.3.
2) the passage into the next world, i. e. death.
3) Name of certain mountain-tops from which devout persons used to throw themselves down to secure entrance into heaven.
4) an epithet of Śiva.
5) the long pilgrimage to mount Kedāra.
6) the way to heaven.
7) the knowledge of the essence of Śiva acquired in the pilgrimage to Kedāra.
Derivable forms: mahāpathaḥ (महापथः).
Mahāpatha is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mahā and patha (पथ).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryMahāpatha (महापथ).—m.
(-thaḥ) 1. The principal path or entrance to a town or house. &c., a main road, a highway. 2. The end of life, the way of all flesh. 3. Name of certain precipices from which people used to throw themselves to obtain entrance into heaven. E. mahā chief, patha road.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryMahāpatha (महापथ).—[masculine] chief road or the long journey i.e. death.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Mahāpatha (महापथ):—[=mahā-patha] [from mahā > mah] m. a principal road, high street (in a city), high road, highway (ifc. f(ā). ), [Aitareya-brāhmaṇa; Gautama-dharma-śāstra; Āpastamba] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] Name of Śiva, [Mahābhārata]
3) [v.s. ...] the long journey, the passage into the next world (thaṃ√yā, to die), [Kathāsaritsāgara]
4) [v.s. ...] the gr° pilgrimage (to the shrine of Śiva on mount Kedāra, or the same pilg° performed in spirit id est. by deep absorption into ڰ), [Catalogue(s)]
5) [v.s. ...] the knowledge of the essence of Śiva acquired in this pilg°, [Catalogue(s)]
6) [v.s. ...] the mountain-precipices from which devotees throw themselves to obtain a speedier entrance into Śiva’s heaven, [ib.]
7) [v.s. ...] Name of the book which treats of the above subjects
8) [v.s. ...] of a hell, [Yājñavalkya]
9) [v.s. ...] n. = brahma-randhra (q.v.), [Catalogue(s)]
10) [v.s. ...] mf(ā)n. having a great path or way, [Pāraskara-gṛhya-sūtra]
[Sanskrit to German] (Deutsch Wörterbuch)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Böhtlingk and Roth Grosses Petersburger WörterbuchMahāpatha (महापथ):—[(ma + patha)]
1) m. [Vopadeva’s Grammatik 6, 69.] a) Hauptstrasse (in einer Stadt), Landstrasse [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 987.] [Aitareyabrāhmaṇa.4,17.] [LĀṬY.1,1,16.] [Chāndogyopaniṣad.8,6,2.] [Mahābhārata.1,2263.5,3349.] [Rāmāyaṇa.2,80,19. 114,13.] [Kumārasaṃbhava.7,3.] [Oxforder Handschriften 51,a,28.] devayāne mahāpathe [Harivaṃśa 16256.] Beiw. Śiva’s [Mahābhārata 13, 1234.] Am Ende eines adj. comp. f. ā [Mahābhārata 3, 13708.] [Harivaṃśa 6547.] [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 5, 8 (4 Gorresio). 2, 42, 23.] [Rāmāyaṇa Gorresio 2, 48, 19.] — b) die lange Reise so v. a. der Weg in’s Jenseits: pathaṃ yā so v. a. sterben [Kathāsaritsāgara 2, 43. 30, 59.] gama das Sterben [Jaṭādhara im Śabdakalpadruma] — c) α) die lange Reise zum Heiligthum des Śiva auf dem Berge Kedāra oder die im Geiste dahin vollbrachte Reise d. i. die tiefe Versenkung in Śiva’s Wesen; β) die auf diesem Wege erlangte Kenntniss von Śiva’s Wesen; γ) die Bergspitze, von der sich die Gläubigen, um schneller in den Himmel zu gelangen, stürzen (vgl. [Lassen’s Indische Alterthumskunde I, 50]); und δ) Titel des über diesen Gegenstand handelnden Buches, [Oxforder Handschriften 81,b, No. 137.] — d) eine best. Hölle [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 3, 223.] —
2) n. = brahmarandhra [Oxforder Handschriften 235,a,17.]
--- OR ---
Mahāpatha (महापथ):—
1) c) γ) vgl. giri [Kathāsaritsāgara 111, 91.]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Sanskrit-Wörterbuch in kürzerer FassungMahāpatha (महापथ):——
1) m. — a) Hauptstrasse (in einer Stadt) , Landstrasse [Gautama's Dharmaśāstra] [Āpastamba’s Dharmasūtra] auch als Beiw. Śiva's. Am Ende eines adj. Comp. f. ā. — b) die lange Reise , so v.a. der Weg in’s Jenseits. pathaṃ yā so v.a. sterben. — c) die lange Reise zum Heiligthum des Śiva auf dem Berge Kedāra oder die im Geiste dahin vollbrachte Reise , d.i. tiefe Versenkung in Śiva’s Wesen. — d) die auf diesem Wege erlangte Kenntniss von Śva’s Wesen. — e) die Bergspitze , von der sich die Gläubigen stürzen , um schneller in den Himmel zu gelangen. — f) Titel des über diese Gegenstände handelnden Werkes. — g) eine best. Hölle. —
2) n. = brahmarandhna. —
3) Adj. (f. ā) einen grossen Pfad habend [Pāraskara’s Gṛhyasūtra 3,4,8.]
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)
Starts with: Mahapathagama, Mahapathagamana, Mahapathagiri, Mahapathavi.
Ends with: Caturmahapatha, Chaturmahapatha.
Full-text: Mahapathagama, Caturmahapatha, Mahapathagiri, Mahapathagamana, Mahamarga.
Relevant text
Search found 3 books and stories containing Mahapatha, Mahāpatha, Maha-patha, Mahā-patha; (plurals include: Mahapathas, Mahāpathas, pathas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Chandogya Upanishad (english Translation) (by Swami Lokeswarananda)
Verse 8.6.2 < [Section 8.6]
Lalitopakhyana (Lalita Mahatmya) (by G.V. Tagare)