Maharaurava, Mahāraurava, Maha-raurava: 17 definitions
Introduction:
Maharaurava means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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)
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—A naraka(hell). (See the section on Naraka under the word Kāla I).
Mahāraurava (महारौरव) is the name of a particular hell, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.23 (“Outraging the modesty of Vṛndā”).—Accordingly, after Jalandhara spoke to Śiva: “Blazing the heaven and the earth, the discus hit Jalandhara and severed his head with wide gaping eyes. [...] His entire blood and flesh, at the bidding of Śiva was taken to the hell Mahāraurava and became a big pit of blood there. His splendour that came out of his body merged into Śiva just like the splendour that came out of the body of Vṛndā and merged into Pārvatī. On seeing Jalandhara killed, the gods, the Gandharvas and the serpents became highly delighted and said ‘Well done, O lord’. [...]”.
Note: Mahāraurava is one of the many hells to which the souls of the wicked are sent. But as Jalandhara had emanated from Rudra, his soul was merged into Rudra’s soul but his flesh and blood went to Mahāraurava hell and were turned into a pool of blood.
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—One of the 28 hells (seven hells below Kraśyādas torment one, who had been selfish all along.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa V. 26. 7, 12; Vāyu-purāṇa 101. 177; Viṣṇu-purāṇa I. 6. 41.
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)
Mahāraurava (महारौरव) refers to one of the thirty hells (naraka) mentioned in the Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa 8.21 (on the narrative of hells). The hells are destinations where dead beings brought by messengers of Yama (the God of the Pitṛs), and get punished by him according to their karmas and faults.
The Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa or Śrīmad-devī-bhāgavatam (mentioning Mahāraurava), is categorised as a Mahāpurāṇa, a type of Sanskrit literature containing cultural information on ancient India, religious/spiritual prescriptions and a range of topics concerning the various arts and sciences. The whole text is composed of 18,000 metrical verses, possibly originating from before the 6th century.
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)
Mahāraurava (महारौरव) refers to one of the eight great hells according to the “world of transmigration” section in the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XXVII).—Accordingly, “The fourth and fifth great hells are Raurava and Mahārauva. The damned who are in these great hells have as guardians rākṣasas with heads yellow (pīta) like gold; their eyes shoot out fire and they are clothed in red cloaks (lohitavastra); their flesh is solid; their gait is as swift as the wind; their hands and feet are long; their mouth utters evil sounds; they hold tridents (triśūla) and forked arrows with which they stab and hurl at the damned like rain... In the Mahāraurava hell, the damned are put into gas chambers: they are shut in prisons or in dark smokey holes and gassed. Or else they are thrown into wells. It is for having stolen others’ goods or for similar reasons that they suffer the torments of the Mahāraurava hell”.
Also, “in their previous lives, these unfortunate ones had traded with false weights and measures and given unjust sentences; they had not returned the supplies entrusted to them and had robbed their inferiors; they had tormented the poor (daridra), making them cry and weep; they had destroyed cities and neighborhoods, ravaged villages, killed and looted; in their perverse hatred against [certain clans], they had called to them from near the ramparts and then, by means of their tricks and deceitfulness, they had brought the people together and then massacred them. It is for all these crimes that they suffer all these punishments”.
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.
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Mahāraurava (महारौरव) is the name of a Vīra (hero) who, together with the Ḍākinī named Mahārauravī forms one of the 36 pairs situated in the Cittacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the cittacakra refers to one of the three divisions of the nirmāṇa-puṭa (‘emanation layer’), situated in the Herukamaṇḍala. The 36 pairs of Ḍākinīs and Vīras [viz., Mahāraurava] are black in color; they each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Mahāraurava (महारौरव) refers to the “great hot hell” and represents one of the “eight hot hells” (uṣṇa-naraka) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 121). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., mahā-raurava). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—Name of one of the 21 hells; Manusmṛti 4.88-9.
Derivable forms: mahārauravaḥ (महारौरवः).
Mahāraurava is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mahā and raurava (रौरव).
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—m., name of a hot hell, usually named after Raurava, q.v.; alone, e.g. Karmavibhaṅga (and Karmavibhaṅgopadeśa) 70.16; Jātakamālā 20.9.
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—m.
(-vaḥ) One of the divisions of Tartarus, a hell. E. mahā great, ruru a demon, aff. aṇ .
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—m. the name of a hell, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 4, 88.
Mahāraurava is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mahā and raurava (रौरव).
Mahāraurava (महारौरव).—[masculine] a cert. hell.
1) Mahāraurava (महारौरव):—[=mahā-raurava] [from mahā > mah] m. Name of a hell, [Aitareya-upaniṣad; Śaṃkarācārya; Purāṇa] etc. (one of the 8 hot hells, [Dharmasaṃgraha 121])
2) [v.s. ...] n. Name of a Sāman, [Ārṣeya-brāhmaṇa]
Mahāraurava (महारौरव):—[mahā-raurava] (vaḥ) 1. m. A hell.
Mahāraurava (महारौरव):—[(ma + rau)] [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 6, 2, 38.]
1) m. eine best. Hölle [Amarakoṣa 1, 2, 2, 1.] [PARAMAHAM̃SOP.] in [Verz. d. Tüb. H. 7.] [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 4, 88.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 5, 26, 7. 12.] [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 12, 3.] [Burnouf 201.] [Hiouen-Thsang 1, 230.] —
2) n. Name eines Sāman [Weber’s Indische Studien.3,232,b.]
Mahāraurava (महारौरव):——
1) m. eine best. Hölle [Śaṃkarācārya] zu [Aitareyopaniṣad .S.182.] —
2) n. Name eines Sāman.
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.
Nepali dictionary
Mahāraurava (महारौरव):—n. name of one of the 21 hells;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Raurava, Maha.
Starts with: Maharauravanaraka.
Full-text (+6): Maharauravanaraka, Da jiao huan de yu, Makarauravam, Maharaurav, Raurava, Naraka, Kravyada, Da hao jiao, Da jiao huan, Da jiao de yu, Ba da de yu, Ushnanaraka, Eight Hot Hells, Maharauravi, Rudraniyoga, Nirgata, Dehodbhava, Raktakunda, Bada, Ruru.
Relevant text
Search found 34 books and stories containing Maharaurava, Mahāraurava, Maha-raurava, Mahā-raurava; (plurals include: Maharauravas, Mahārauravas, rauravas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 3.1.29 < [Chapter 1 - The Worship of Śrī Girirāja]
Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)
Verse 2.9.237 < [Chapter 9 - The Lord’s Twenty-One Hour Ecstasy and Descriptions of Śrīdhara and Other Devotees’ Characteristics]
Verse 2.5.145 < [Chapter 5 - Lord Nityānanda’s Vyāsa-pūjā Ceremony and His Darśana of the Lord’s Six-armed Form]
Verse 1.17.154-158 < [Chapter 17 - The Lord’s Travel to Gayā]
Vishnu Smriti (Study) (by Minu Bhattacharjee)
2. The Vishnu Smriti and the Manusamhita < [Chapter 2]
Devala-smriti (critical study) (by Mukund Lalji Wadekar)
References to section [H] < [Chapter 9 - The distinctive features of the Devalasmriti]
Expiatory Rites in Keralite Tantra (by T. S. Syamkumar)
4.1. Prāyaścitta and Punarjanma < [Chapter 1 - Expiatory Rites: Concept and Evolution]
Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)
Chapter II-f - The hell named Mahā-Raurava < [Volume I]
Chapter II - Maudgalyāyana’s visits to hell < [Volume I]
Related products
