Mahavriksha, Mahāvṛkṣa: 12 definitions
Introduction:
Mahavriksha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, biology. 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.
The Sanskrit term Mahāvṛkṣa can be transliterated into English as Mahavrksa or Mahavriksha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष) refers to “huge trees”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.22. Accordingly as Sitā said to Śiva:—“[...] the most unbearable season of the advent of clouds (ghanāgama or jaladāgama) has arrived with clusters of clouds of diverse hues, and their music reverberating in the sky and the various quarters. [...] Huge trees (mahāvṛkṣa) struck down by the wind appear to dance in the sky, terrifying the cowards and delighting the lover, O Śiva”.
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
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष) refers to the “great tree”, according to the Ṭīkā (commentary) on the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “[...] The consort of the Great Tree (mahāvṛkṣa), that is, the incarnation Ṣaṣṭhanātha is (the goddess) Maṅgalā. She is crooked and (resides) in the place of the six-faced Siddha namely, in Suṣumṇā, the middle channel. How is she? She is a beautiful, young virgin. What is meant by this is that she is skillful in doing all things. It is for this reason that it is said that (she is) Kuṇḍalinī as the Middle Lineage between that of the Eldest and the Youngest and is associated with both. [...]”.
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
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष) refers to a group of deities summoned by the Yamāntaka-mantra and mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including Mahāvṛkṣa).
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.
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष) refers to the “big trees”, according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 38.—[While describing the thirty-seven auxiliaries (pākṣika)]: [...] The Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva must practice the paths of all the good dharmas. [...] According to his previous vows and the sharpness or dullness of his faculties, the person has great compassion or does not have great compassion. Similarly, when the Nāga king makes rain to fall, it rains on the earth everywhere indiscriminately; the big trees (mahāvṛkṣa) and the large plants (mahātṛṇa) receive a lot of rain because of their big roots; the small trees (alpavṛkṣa) and the small plants (alpatṛṇa) receive but little because of their small roots. [...]”.
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.
Biology (plants and animals)
Mahavriksha in the Sanskrit language is the name of a plant identified with Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. from the Cactaceae (Cactus) family having the following synonyms: Cactus chinensis, Cactus indicus, Opuntia dillenii. For the possible medicinal usage of mahavriksha, you can check this page for potential sources and references, although be aware that any some or none of the side-effects may not be mentioned here, wether they be harmful or beneficial to health.
1) Mahavriksha in India is the name of a plant defined with Acacia ferruginea in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Senegalia ferruginea (DC.) Pedley (among others).
2) Mahavriksha is also identified with Bombax ceiba It has the synonym see Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (1794–1865) and Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher, Meletemata botanica. 35. Wien 1832.) (Salmalia Schott & Endl., from salmali, a Sanskrit name for Salmalia malabarica. (etc.).
3) Mahavriksha is also identified with Opuntia stricta It has the synonym Cactus strictus Haw. (etc.).
4) Mahavriksha is also identified with Salvadora persica It has the synonym Salvadora crassinervia Hochst. ex T. Anderson (etc.).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Proceedings of the Indian Science Congress Association (1980)
· Nomenclator Botanicus (1840)
· Hortus Malabaricus
· Species Plantarum (1753)
· Cell and Chromosome Research (1984)
· Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis (DC.) (1824)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Mahavriksha, for example side effects, pregnancy safety, extract dosage, health benefits, chemical composition, diet and recipes, have a look at these references.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष).—m.
(-kṣaḥ) Euphorbia, of several species: see snuhī E. mahā great, vṛkṣa a tree.
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष).—[masculine] large tree.
1) Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष):—[=mahā-vṛkṣa] [from mahā > mah] m. a gr° tree, [Atharva-veda; Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa [case]]
2) [v.s. ...] a species of Euphorbia, [Suśruta; Caraka]
3) [v.s. ...] = -pīlu (q.v.), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष):—[(ma + vṛkṣa)] m.
1) ein grosser Baum [Atharvavedasaṃhitā 4, 37, 4.] [Pañcaviṃśabrāhmaṇa 7, 6, 15. 14, 1, 12.] [LĀṬY. 1, 1, 16.] [GOBH. 2, 4, 2. 4, 5, 16.] [Kauśika’s Sūtra zum Atuarvaveda 77.] [Spr. 1189. 3293.] —
2) eine Euphorbia [Halāyudha 2, 42.] [Suśruta 1, 144, 19. 168, 7.] kṣīra [370, 12. 2, 87, 6. 284, 2. 367, 13.]
Mahāvṛkṣa (महावृक्ष):—m. —
1) ein grosser Baum. —
2) eine Euphorbia [Rājan 8,50.] [Carakasaṃhitā 7,10.] —
3) * = mahāpīlu [Rājan 11,86.]
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.
Kannada-English dictionary
Mahāvṛkṣa (ಮಹಾವೃಕ್ಷ):—
1) [noun] a large-sized tree.
2) [noun] the spurge plant Euphorbia tirucalli of Euphorbiaceae family; round tree spurge.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches (+0): Vriksha, Maha.
Starts with (+0): Mahavrikshadi, Mahavrikshagalaskandha, Mahavrikshakshira.
Full-text (+2): Mahavrikshakshira, Da shu xian ren, Mahavrikshagalaskandha, Mavirukkam, Mahaprishthagalaskandha, Makavirutcam, Keturat, Dai thu tien nhan, Gandika, Sevitavya, Qu nu cheng, Mahiruha, Kancana, Jie ruo ju du, Mahatrina, Alpavriksha, Alpatrina, Bala, Pancabala, Da shu jin na luo.
Relevant text
Search found 27 books and stories containing Mahavriksha, Maha-vriksha, Mahā-vṛkṣa, Maha-vrksa, Mahāvṛkṣa, Mahavrksa; (plurals include: Mahavrikshas, vrikshas, vṛkṣas, vrksas, Mahāvṛkṣas, Mahavrksas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
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Sushruta Samhita, Volume 5: Kalpasthana (by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna)