Mahatapas, Maha-tapa, Maha-tapas, Mahatapa, Mahātapa, Mahātapas: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Mahatapas means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali. 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)
Mahātapas (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)
Mahātapas (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’.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Mahātapas (महातपस्) refers to “great austerities”, as discussed in the Yogakhaṇḍa of the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, as the Goddess says to Mahādeva: “[...] O god, (now) you have been told this, listen, O Bhairava, to (what happened) next. This God, called Self-existent, observed great austerity (mahātapas) and the one called Victory arose (there in) in his abode. He became five-fold (in the form of the Five Elements) in order to serve as the cause of the deluding clutter of creation”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Mahātapas (महातपस्).—m.
1) a great ascetic.
2) an epithet of Viṣṇu.
Mahātapas is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mahā and tapas (तपस्).
Mahātapas (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).
Mahātapas (महातपस्).—[adjective] much afflicted or doing severe penance; [masculine] [Name] of a sage.
Mahātapa (महातप):—[=mahā-tapa] [from mahā > mah] (mc.) mfn. = -tapas, [Harivaṃśa]
1) 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]
Mahātapas (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.
Pali-English dictionary
mahātapa (မဟာတပ) [(ti) (တိ)]—
[mahanta+tapa]
[မဟန္တ+တပ]
[Pali to Burmese]
mahātapa—
(Burmese text): ပြင်းထန်-လွန်ကဲ-သော အကျင့်ရှိသော၊ အကျင့်ပြင်းထန်သော၊ သူ။
(Auto-Translation): A person with severe and extreme behavior, a person with strong behavior.
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Maha, Tapas, Mahanta, Tapasa, Tapa.
Starts with: Mahatapasa, Mahatapashcita, Mahatapasvin.
Full-text: Mahatapahsaptami, Romavanta, Sumahatapas, Dirghatapas, Maha.
Relevant text
Search found 24 books and stories containing Mahatapas, Maha-tapa, Mahā-tapa, Mahā-tapas, Maha-tapas, Mahanta-tapa, Mahatapa, Mahātapa, Mahātapas; (plurals include: Mahatapases, tapas, tapases, Mahatapas, Mahātapas, Mahātapases). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 61 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 2]
Page 63 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 2]
Page 554 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 3]
The Naciketa-Upakhyana as the source of the Nasiketopakhyana < [Purana, Volume 6, Part 2 (1964)]
Longevity of the Author of the Puranas < [Purana, Volume 6, Part 2 (1964)]
Vamana in Literature and Art < [Purana, Volume 12, Part 1 (1970)]
Devala-smriti (critical study) (by Mukund Lalji Wadekar)
2. Devala: Life, personality, character and contribution < [Chapter 2 - Devala—his bio-data]
1. Devala: an ancient reputed Sage < [Chapter 2 - Devala—his bio-data]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Bhagavati-sutra (Viyaha-pannatti) (by K. C. Lalwani)
Part 5 - On the hot-spring at Rājagṛha < [Chapter 5]
Yogatattva Upanishad (translation and study) (by Sujata Jena)