Muhurtamatra, Muhūrtamātra, Muhurta-matra: 3 definitions
Introduction:
Muhurtamatra 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)
Muhūrtamātra (मुहूर्तमात्र) refers to the “time-span of a Muhūrta”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.6 (“The miraculous feat of Kārttikeya”).—Accordingly, after the Brahmin named Nārada spoke to Kumāra (Kārttikeya): “[...] Within a Muhūrta, O sage, the goat walked round the universe and without exhaustion returned to the same place. 30. Then the lord got down and resumed his seat. The goat stood there itself. Then the brahmin Nārada told the lord. [...]”.
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.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Muhūrtamātra (मुहूर्तमात्र) refers to an “instant” [?] [i.e., a period time], according to the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, an ancient Buddhist ritual manual on agriculture from the 5th-century (or earlier), containing various instructions for the Sangha to provide agriculture-related services to laypeople including rain-making, weather control and crop protection.—Accordingly, [while describing an offering manual] “[...] Merely upon calling it to mind, all thunderbolts are destroyed in a moment. If there are vajra-thunderbolts, water will come forth merely in an instant (muhūrtamātra). [...]”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Muhūrtamātra (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 少 [shǎo]: “few”.
Note: muhūrtamātra can be alternatively written as: muhūrta-mātram.
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)
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Search found 3 books and stories containing Muhurtamatra, Muhūrtamātra, Muhūrta-mātra, Muhurta-matra; (plurals include: Muhurtamatras, Muhūrtamātras, mātras, matras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Page 159 < [Volume 23 (1918)]
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle for preventing and managing Kushtha. < [2021: Volume 10, November issue 13]
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences
Concept of Diet and Lifestyle in Preventing Skin Disorders in Ayurveda < [Vol. 10 No. 3 (2025)]