Mahatapas, Maha-tapas, Mahātapas: 9 definitions
Introduction:
Mahatapas means something in 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)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaMahātapas (महातपस्).—A great sage. Varāha Purāṇa states that this sage advised King Suprabha to worship Viṣṇu.
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.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraMahātapas (महातपस्) is the son of Muni Dīrghatapas, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 101. Accordingly, as Vyāghrasena said to Mṛgāṅkadatta: “... a hermit-boy came to bathe in that lake; his name was Mahātapas, and he was the son of Dīrghatapas. He had matted hair, he diffused a brightness of his own, and he [Mahātapas] seemed like the God of Fire, blazing with mighty flame, become incarnate in the body of a Brāhman, in order to consume once more the Khāṇḍava forest; he [Mahātapas] was clothed in the skin of a black antelope, he had an ascetic’s water-vessel in his left hand, and on his right wrist he bore a rosary of Akṣa seeds by way of a bracelet; the perfumed earth that he [Mahātapas] used in bathing was stuck on the horns of the deer that came with him, and he was accompanied by some other hermit-boys like himself”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Mahātapas, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.
Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryMahātapas (महातपस्).—m.
1) a great ascetic.
2) an epithet of Viṣṇu.
Mahātapas is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mahā and tapas (तपस्).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryMahātapas (महातपस्).—or su-tapas, adj. one who has practised great religious austerities,
Mahātapas is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mahā and tapas (तपस्).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryMahātapas (महातपस्).—[adjective] much afflicted or doing severe penance; [masculine] [Name] of a sage.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Mahātapas (महातपस्):—[=mahā-tapas] [from mahā > mah] mfn. very afflicted, [Mahābhārata]
2) [v.s. ...] practising severe penance or great religious austerities, [Manu-smṛti; Mahābhārata; Rāmāyaṇa]
3) [v.s. ...] m. a great ascetic, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]
4) [v.s. ...] Name of Viṣṇu, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) [v.s. ...] of Śiva, [Religious Thought and Life in India 83]
6) [v.s. ...] of a Muni, [Hitopadeśa; Kathāsaritsāgara]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryMahātapas (महातपस्):—(pāḥ) 5. m. Great ascetic.
[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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Mahatapashcita, Mahatapasvin.
Ends with: Sumahatapas.
Full-text: Mahatapahsaptami, Sumahatapas, Maha, Dirghatapas.
Relevant text
Search found 3 books and stories containing Mahatapas, Maha-tapas, Mahā-tapas, Mahātapas; (plurals include: Mahatapases, tapases, Mahātapases). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The Agni Purana (by N. Gangadharan)
The Shiva Purana (by J. L. Shastri)
Chapter 35 - Śiva-sahasranāma: the thousand names of Śiva < [Section 4 - Koṭirudra-Saṃhitā]
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter CI < [Book XII - Śaśāṅkavatī]