Mahiman, Mahima, Mahimā, Mahimān: 37 definitions
Introduction:
Mahiman means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Hindi. 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
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Mahimā (महिमा):—Seventh of the eight Mahāmātṛs existing within the Mātṛcakra, according to the Kubjikāmatatantra. Mahimā stands for the element “earth”. The eight Mahāmātṛs are also called mudrās because all the directions are ‘sealed’ by them.
Mahimā (as do each of the eight Mahāmātṛs) divides herself into eight (secondary) mātṛs, presided over by a Bhairava (fearsome manifestations of Śiva) and his Mātṛkā as consorts. The Mātṛs of this sixth and north-western group are born from Mahimā’s body. They are presided over by Jhaṇṭha Bhairava and his consort Aindryā.
The eight deities originating from Mahimā are called:
- Nivṛtti,
- Pratiṣṭhā,
- Vidyā,
- Śānti,
- Śāntātītā,
- Pṛthivī,
- Vajriṇī
- and Kāmadhenavī.
All these Mātṛs are characterized as carrying a diamond (vajra) in their hand.
Mahiman (महिमन्) or Śivamahiman refers to “Śiva’s greatness”, according to Appaya’s Śivārkamaṇidīpikā on the Brahmasūtra 2.2.38.—Appaya does not seem willing to ascribe full ‘vedicness’ to Śaivāgamas, as is clear from the following passage in his subcommentary on the same sūtra: “So it is concluded that the Śaivāgamas follow śruti with regard to the various ways of performing [Śiva’s] worship and Śiva’s greatness [i.e., śiva-mahiman]—both [features] not being taught in directly perceivable śruti [i.e. the Vedic saṃhitās]—just like Kalpasūtras (whose purpose is to expand upon different parts required by the performance of rituals, of which just a few procedures are taught in directly perceivable śruti) follow śruti with regard to various parts not taught in directly perceivable śruti. Therefore, all things taught in the Veda and Śaivāgamas are exactly the same. But the following is the difference: while in [the case of] Kalpasūtras, it is possible to doubt, with regard to those parts that are contradicted by directly perceivable śruti, that the [human] author may have committed an error, such doubt is not possible in the case of āgamas insofar as they have Śiva as their author”.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Mahimā (महिमा) is a Sanskrit word referring to the “ability to become huge”, as described in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali.
Mahimā (महिमा) refers to “(the supernatural power of) becoming immense”, and as one of the “eight common Yogic paranormal powers”, represents one of the various signs and paranormal powers (siddhi) experienced by the Yoga practicioner, according to the Amanaska Yoga treatise.—The last fifty-two verses of the Amanaska’s first chapter describe a temporal sequence of psychosomatic signs and paranormal powers (siddhi) brought about by absorption (laya). In the Amanaska, The 8 common yogic paranormal powers are, [e.g., the power to be immense (mahimā)], [...] This list is similar to that given in Pātañjalayogaśāstra 3.45.
Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Mahimān (महिमान्).—An Āditya. Bhāgavata 6th Skandha says that Mahimān was the son of Bhaga by Siddhi.
Mahimā (महिमा) refers to the “power of greatness”, representing the achievements of the western petal of the Aṣṭadala (mystical diagram of the lotus of eight petals), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.1.11, while explaining the mode of worshipping Śiva:—“[...] the Liṅga shall be purified and installed with various mantras beginning with Praṇava and ending with Namaḥ (obeisance). The pedestal in the form of Svastika or lotus shall be assigned with Praṇava. In the eight petals, in the eight quarters, the eight achievements are identified [viz., the western is Mahimā (greatness)]”.
Mahiman (महिमन्) refers to “Śiva’s greatness”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.25 (“Prayer by the gods”).—Accordingly, as the Gods said to Śiva: “[...] Even the Veda does not know your greatness (mahiman) in reality. [vedo'pi mahimānaṃ te na jānāti hi tattvataḥ] Noble men sing your great glory to the extent of their intellect. Indra and others sing your secret greatness always with pleasure and sanctify their own tongue. O lord of gods, by your favour even a sluggish person realizes Brahman. The Vedas say that you are always attainable by devotion. [...]”.
1a) Mahimā (महिमा).—A siddhi devī.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 19. 4; 36. 51; 44. 108.
1b) One of the eight Yogaiśvaryas; the third Yoga.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 13. 3, 13.
1a) Mahimān (महिमान्).—A son of Bhaga and Siddhī.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa VI. 18. 2.
1b) A son of Āyu Agni; also Śāvan.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 29. 37.
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)
1) Mahimā (महिमा) refers to one of the maids (cellakā) associated with Pūrṇagiri, one of the sacred seats (pīṭha), according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Nine of the twelve female servants (three in each of the first four seats), are low-caste women who we find, in other contexts, embody the Mothers (mātṛkā). The maids (cellakā) [i.e., Mahimā] are Yoginīs and the servants their male counterparts. These replace the spiritual ‘sons’ and ‘daughters’ the goddess generates and the guardians she appoints in the sacred seats listed in the ‘Kubjikāmatatantra’.
2) Mahimā (महिमा) [=Mahimānanada] is the “secret name” of Katsāladeva —one of the Sixteen Siddhas according to the Kubjikānityāhnikatilaka: a derative text drawing from Tantras and other sources such as the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā.—These sixteen spiritual teachers represent the disciples of the Nine Nāthas who propagated the Western Transmission noted in the Kubjikā Tantras.—Katsāladeva is the Caryā name of this Nātha (i.e., the public name the Siddha uses when living as a wandering renouncer). His Gopya or “secret name” is Mahimā-Ānanada. This secret name is the one by which he is known only to fellow initiates, his teachers and disciples. It is never revealed to anybody outside the circle of initiates.
Mahimā (महिमा) refers to one of the ten Siddhadevīs and part of the twenty-eight Goddesses residing in the Trailokyamohanacakra which represents one of the nine Āvaraṇa-Cakras of Śrīcakra (the nucleus of Tantric philosophy) which are related to the fifteen-lettered chant called Śrīvidyā, according to Śaṅkarācārya’s Saudaryalaharī.—By the worship on Śrīcakra, the Goddess (whose presence is represented is Śrīcakra) will get awakened. This is the beginning of the spiritual consciousness in man. The nine Cakras in the Śrīcakra are called āvaraṇacakras.—Bhūpuratraya having four openings is called Trailokyamohanacakra with white (outermost), light red (middle) the and yellow (innermost) colours. Tripurādevī controls the twenty-eight goddesses [e.g., Mahimā] who exist here.
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.
Vedanta (school of philosophy)
Mahiman (महिमन्) refers to “greatness”, according to Mādhavavidyāraṇya’s Śaṅkaradigvijaya 5.97.—Accordingly, “I [Śaṅkara] desire to know the basis of Brahman from the great sage Gauḍapāda, [who was] the student of the son of Vyāsa. Because of my devotion to [this] one aim, I have found you [my guru, Govinda,] who is full of all good qualities, who has obtained the supreme truth and whose greatness (mahiman) extends [throughout the land]”.
Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Mahima (महिम) refers to the “glories (of Kṛṣṇa)”, as discussed in the third chapter [first book] of the Jñānāmṛtasārasaṃhita: a Pāñcarātra text representing a sectarian glorification of Kṛṣṇa and Rādha (i.e., the cult of Radha-Krishna) dated among the latest of the Saṃhitā-type works.—Description of the chapter [brahmasanatkumārasaṃvāda śrīkṛṣṇamahimopalambhanam]: Sanatkumāra pursues the matter of naivedya-offerings and another story is told by Brahmā about Subhadra’s devotion being rewarded by a divine vision of Kṛṣṇa and His entourage (1-88)
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
Shaiva philosophy
Mahiman (महिमन्) refers to the “greatness” (i.e., the innate divine majesty and power of Śambhu/Śiva), according to Bhaṭṭa Rāmakaṇṭha’s 10th-century Tattvatrayanirṇayavivṛti—a commentary on the 7th-century Tattvatrayanirṇaya by Sadyojyoti which discusses philosophical aspects of Śiva including the theories of Puruṣas (souls), Māyā (primal matter) and Mala (the innate impurity afflicting souls).—Accordingly, [root text verse 1]: “Obeisance to Him, who, independent and of beginningless splendour, bestows through his own greatness (sva-mahiman) various rewards upon souls, after determining the nature of the varying [degrees of] bondage [that afflicts them]. (1)”.
Note: The text states that the Lord (Śambhu/Śiva) bestows fruits such as experience and liberation “by means of His own splendour alone” (sva-mahiman), emphasizing that all transformative acts—including initiation (dīkṣā)—are achieved not through any independent external means, but solely through his intrinsic power (“by His Powers”). This is directly related to the notion of svaśakti-lakṣaṇa (“characterized by his own power”), as both terms highlight Śambhu’s complete autonomy.
Shaiva philosophy is a spritiual tradition within Hinduism that includes theories such as the relationship between the Atman (individual soul) and Siva, the nature of liberation (moksha), and the concepts of maya (illusion) and shakti (divine energy). Saiva philosophy teaches that union with Shiva can be achieved through knowledge, devotion, and spiritual practice. It encompasses major branches like Shaiva Siddhanta and Kashmir Shaivism.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Mahimā (महिमा) refers to “transforming the body into bigger stature” and represents one of the eleven types of extraordinary form-changing (vikriyā), which itself is a subclass of the eight ṛddhis (extraordinary powers). These powers can be obtained by the Ārya (civilized people) in order to produce worldly miracles. The Āryas represent one of the two classes of human beings according to the 2nd-century Tattvārthasūtra 3.46, the other being Mleccha (barbarians).
What is meant by extraordinary power to transform body into bigger stature (mahimā-riddhi)? It is the extraordinary power by which one transforms his body into bigger stature like a hill.
Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
mahimā (महिमा).—m f (S) Greatness, grandeur, glory, illustriousness, majesty. Ex. patanauddhāra santāñcā ma0 || tyajāvēṃ adhamā santadvēṣṭayā ||. 2 m Magnitude as one of Shiva's attributes, immensity or illimitability. 3 Greatness or magnitude in general.
mahimā (महिमा).—m f Greatness, glory. m Magnitude.
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
Mahiman (महिमन्).—m. [mahat imanic ṭilopaḥ]
1) Greatness (fig. also); अयि मलयज महिमायं कस्य गिरामस्तु विषयस्ते (ayi malayaja mahimāyaṃ kasya girāmastu viṣayaste) Bv.1.11; अधोऽधः पश्यतः कस्य महिमा नोपचीयते (adho'dhaḥ paśyataḥ kasya mahimā nopacīyate) H.2.2.
2) Glory, majesty, might, power; तिसृभिस्त्वमवस्थाभिर्महिमानमुदीरयन् (tisṛbhistvamavasthābhirmahimānamudīrayan) Kumārasambhava 2.6; Uttararāmacarita 4.21.
3) High rank, exalted rank or position, dignity.
4) Personage (vibhūti); महिमान एवैषाम् (mahimāna evaiṣām) Bṛ. Up.3.9.2.
5) One of the 8 Siddhis, the power of increasing size at will; see सिद्धि (siddhi).
Mahiman (महिमन्).—m.
(-mā) 1. Greatness in general, literally, or figuratively. 2. Magnitude as one of Siva'S attributes, illimitability. 3. Might, power, glory. 4. High rank. 5. The superhumen power of increasing in bulk at will, considered as one of the eight Siddhis. E. mahat great, imanic aff. of the abstract property.
Mahiman (महिमन्).—i. e. mahant + iman, m. Greatness, [Hitopadeśa] ii. [distich] 2; majesty, [Vikramorvaśī, (ed. Bollensen.)] [distich] 5; exaltation, [Uttara Rāmacarita, 2. ed. Calc., 1862.] 42, 2.
Mahiman (महिमन्).—[masculine] greatness, might, majesty; [instrumental] also as [adverb] greatly, mightily.
Mahiman (महिमन्) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—a name of Mammaṭa. Keśavamiśra in Alaṃkāraśekhara, Gokulanātha in Śaktiviveka Oxf. 246^a.
1) Mahima (महिम):—[from mah] in [compound] for mahiman.
2) Mahimā (महिमा):—[from mah] f. = mahiman, greatness etc., [Rāmāyaṇa]
1) Mahiman (महिमन्):—[from mah] a m. greatness, might, power, majesty, glory, [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc. (himnā ind. or hinā ind. mightily, forcibly, [Ṛg-veda])
2) [v.s. ...] the magical power of increasing size at will, [Vetāla-pañcaviṃśatikā; Pañcarātra] (cf. [Monier-Williams’ Buddhism 245])
3) [v.s. ...] magnitude (as one of Śiva’s attributes; mnaḥ stava m. stuti f. stotra n. Name of hymns; cf. mahimastava)
4) [v.s. ...] Name of a man, [Rājataraṅgiṇī]
5) [v.s. ...] a Name of Mammaṭa q.v., [Catalogue(s)]
6) [v.s. ...] [dual number] Name of two Grahas at the Aśva-medha sacrifice, [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa; ???]
7) b etc. See [column]1.
Mahiman (महिमन्):—(mā) 5. m. Magnitude as one of Shiva's attributes; greatness.
Mahiman (महिमन्):—
Mahimā (महिमा):—f. = mahiman Grösse u.s.w. [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 38, 14.]
Mahima (महिम):——
1) am Ende eines adj. Comp. [Nārada’s Pañcarātra 3,4] = mahiman Grösse. Wohl fehlerhaft. —
2) f. ā (metrisch) Grösse u.s.w.
--- OR ---
Mahimā (महिमा):—f. s. mahima 2).
Mahiman (महिमन्):—m. —
1) Grösse , Fülle , Majestät , Macht , Würde , Energie. Instr. mahimnā und mahinā auch als Adv. mächtig , gewaltig , gewaltsam. —
2) Grosse. so v.a. ein mächtiges Wesen. , —
3) die Zauberkraft sich beliebig gross zu machen. —
4) mahimnaḥ stavaḥ , -stutiḥ und -stotram das Lob der Majestät (Śiva's) , Titel eines Gedichts. mahimnaḥ stavarājapradīpaḥ [Classified index] —
5) Du. Bez. zweier Graha ( Bechervoll) beim Aśvamedha [Taittirīya brāhmaṇa (Roth). 3,9,10,1.] [Āpastamba’s Śrautasūtra 20,12.] —
6) Nomen proprium eines Mannes.
Mahiman (महिमन्) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Mahima.
Mahimā (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 徧滿 [biàn mǎn]: “to pervade”.
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.
Hindi dictionary
Mahimā (महिमा) [Also spelled nahima]:—(nf) exaltation, greatness, dignity; majesty; importance; ~[maṃḍita] exalted; dignified; majestic; bearing the stamp of greatness/importance; ~[maya/vāna] dignified, exalted, great, majestic; important.
...
Prakrit-English dictionary
Mahima (महिम) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Mahiman.
Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.
Kannada-English dictionary
Mahima (ಮಹಿಮ):—
1) [noun] = ಮಹಿಮೆ - [mahime -] 1.
2) [noun] a man of greatness or he who has spiritual or super-human power.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Mahimā (महिमा):—n. 1. greatness; 2. glory; majesty; might; power; 3. high rank; exalted position; dignity; 4. one of the siddhis; the power of increasing size at will;
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.
Pali-English dictionary
[Pali to Burmese]
mahima—
(Burmese text): ကြီးမားသည်၏ အဖြစ်၊ ကြီးမားသည်၏ အဖြစ်သို့ရောက်စေခြင်း၊ ကြီးမားအောင် ဖန်ဆင်းနိုင်ခြင်း တန်ခိုး။
(Auto-Translation): The power to become great, to lead to greatness, and to create greatness.
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: Ima, Mahanta.
Starts with: Mahimana, Mahimananada, Mahimanate, Mahimanda, Mahimandala, Mahimandaleshvara, Mahimant, Mahimanveet, Mahimanvita.
Full-text (+135): Mahimabhatta, Mahamahiman, Karttikamahiman, Mahimasundara, Mahimataramga, Yogamahiman, Devimahiman, Aluptamahiman, Mahimastava, Harimahiman, Pradoshamahiman, Lakshmidvadashanamamahiman, Shatsthalamahiman, Shivapujamahiman, Puranashravanamahiman, Shrimahiman, Nrisimhamahiman, Vishnumahiman, Manikarnikamahiman, Pancasamskaramahiman.
Relevant text
Search found 147 books and stories containing Mahiman, Mahima, Mahimā, Mahimān, Mahanta-ima; (plurals include: Mahimans, Mahimas, Mahimās, Mahimāns, imas). 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 2.8.42 < [Chapter 8 - Description of Seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa]
Verse 2.9.15 < [Chapter 9 - Brahmā’s Prayers]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 585 < [Hindi-Bengali-English Volume 2]
Page 526 < [Hindi-Sindhi-English Volume 1]
Page 253 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Gautami Mahatmya (by G. P. Bhatt)
Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latikā (by Sarasvati Thkura)
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 1.5.115 < [Chapter 5 - Priya (the beloved devotees)]
Verse 2.3.98 < [Chapter 3 - Bhajana (loving service)]
Verse 1.3.49 < [Chapter 3 - Prapañcātīta (beyond the Material Plane)]
Further sources of Vijayanagara history (by K. A. Nilakanta Sastri)
Chapter 5 - The foundation of the city of Vijayanagara < [Volume 1]
Page 239 < [Volume 2]