Mahant (adjective) [Vedic mahant, which by Grassmann is taken as present participle to mah, but in all probability the n is an original suffix. — Cf. Avesta mazant, Sanskrit comparative mahīyān; Greek μέγας (comparative μείζων), Latin magnus, Gothic mikils = Old High German mihhil = English much] great, extensive, big; important, venerable. — nominative mahā Snp 1008; Mhv 22, 27. Shortened to maha in compound pitāmaha (following a- declention) (paternal) grandfather Pv-a 41; and mātāmaha (maternal) grandfather (q.v.). — instrumental mahatā Snp 1027. — plural nominative mahantā Snp 578 (opposite daharā). — locative mahati Miln 254. — feminine mahī. 1. one of the 5 great rivers (proper name). 2. the earth. See separately. — neuter mahantaṃ used as adverb, meaning "very much, greatly" Ja V 170; Dhp-a IV 232. Also in compound mahantabhāva greatness, loftiness, sublimity As 44. — compare mahantatara Dhp-a II 63, and with diminutive suffix °ka Ja III 237. — The regular paraphrase of mahā in the Niddesa is "agga, seṭṭha, visiṭṭha, pāmokkha, uttama, pavara," see Nidd II §502. Note on mahā and compounds A. In certain compounds the combination with mahā (mah°) has become so established and customary (often through politeness in using mahā° for the simple term), that the compound is felt as an inseparable unity and a sort of "antique" word, in which the 2nd part either does not occur any more by itself or only very rarely, as mahaṇṇava, which is more frequent than aṇṇava; mahābhisakka, where abhisakka does not occur by itself; cf. mahānubhāva, mahiddhika, {526} mahaggha; or is obscured in its derivation through constant use with mahā, like mahesī [mah + esī, or īsī], mahesakkha [mah + esakkha]; mahallaka [mah + *ariyaka]; mahāmatta. Cf. English great-coat, Greek ἁρχ° in ἁρχ-ιατρός = German arzt. Only a limited selection of compound-words is given, consisting of more frequent or idiomatic terms. Practically any word may be enlarged and emphasized in meaning by prefixing mahā. Sometimes a mahā° lends to special events a standard (historical) significance, so changing the common word into a noun proper, e.g. Mah-ābhinikkhammana, Mahāpavāraṇa. B. Mahā occurs in compounds in (a) an elided form mah before a and i; (b) shortened to maha° before g, d, p, b with doubling of these consonants; (c) in the regular form mahā°: usually before consonants, sometimes before vowels. This form is contracted with following i to e and following u to o. In the following list of compounds we have arranged the material according to these bases. mah°: -aggha very costly, precious Pp 34; Mhv 27, 35; Pv-a 77, 87; Saddh 18; -agghatā costliness, great value Pp 34, Saddh 26; -aṇṇava the (great) ocean Mhv 19, 17; -atthiya (for °atthika) of great importance or use, very useful, profitable Ja III 368; -andhakāra deep darkness Vism 417; -assāsin fully refreshed, very comfortable S I 81. maha°: -ggata "become great," enlarged, extensive, figurative lofty, very great M I 263; II 122; A II 63, 184; III 18; Vv-a 155; Ja V 113; Dhs 1020 (translation: "having a wider scope") Vibh 16, 24, 62, 74, 126, 270, 326; Tikap 45; Vism 410, 430 f. (°ārammaṇa); Vibh-a 154 (the same), 159 (°citta); As 44. See on term Cpd. 4, 12, 55, 1014; [cf. BHS mahadgata Divy 227]; -gghasa eating much, greedy, gluttonous A IV 92; P III 111 (= bahubhojana Pv-a 175); Miln 288; Dhp 325 (cf. Dhp-a IV 16); -ddhana having great riches (often combined with mahābhoga) Dhp 123; Ja IV 15, 22; -pphala much fruit; adjective bearing much fruit, rich in result A IV 60, 237 f.; Snp 191, 486; Dhp 312, 356 f. -bbala (a) a strong force, a great army Mhv 10, 68 (v.l., Text has mahā-bala); (b) of great strength, mighty, powerful Ja III 114; Mhv 23, 92; 25, 9; -bbhaya great fear, terror S I 37; Snp 753, 1032, 1092, cp. Nidd II §501. mahā°: -anas kitchen Mhv 5, 27 (spurious stanza); -anasa kitchen Ja II 361; III 314; V 368; VI 349; Dhp-a III 309; Thig-a 5; -anila a gale Mhv 3, 42; -ānisaṃsa deserving great praise (see sub voce ), [cf. BHS mahānuśaṃsa Mvu III 221]; -ānubhāva majesty, adjective wonderful, splendid Ja I 194; VI 331; Pv III 3 1 ; Pv-a 117, 136, 145, 272; -aparādhika very guilty Ja I 114; -abhinikkhamaṇa the great renunciation Dhp-a I 85; -abhisakka [abhi + śak] very powerful Thag 1111; -amacca chief minister Mhv 19, 12; -araha costly Mhv 3, 21; 5, 75; 27, 39; Pv-a 77, 141, 160. -alasa great sloth Dhp-a III 410; -avīci the great Hell Avīci, frequent -isi in poetry for mahesi at Ja V 321; -upaṭṭhāna great stateroom (of a king) Pj II 84; -upāsikā a great female follower (of the Buddha) Vv-a 5; -karuṇā great compassion Dhp-a I 106, 367; -kāya a great body Miln 16; -gaṇa a great crowd or community Dhp-a I 154; -gaṇḍa a large tumour Vibh-a 104; -gedha great greed Snp 819; Nidd I 151; -cāga great liberality, adjective munificent Mhv 27, 47. As °paricāga at Pj II 295 (= mahādāna); -jana a great crowd, collectively for "the people," a multitude Pv-a 6, 19, 78; Mhv 3, 13; -taṇha (adjective) very thirsty Ja II 441; -tala "great surface," the large flat roof on the top of a palace (= upari-pāsāda-tala) Ja VI 40; -dāna (see under dāna) the great gift (to the bhikkhus) a special great offering of food and presents given by laymen to the Buddha and his followers as a meritorious deed, usually lasting for a week or more Mhv 27, 46; Pv-a 111, 112; -dhana (having) great wealth Pv-a 3, 78; -naraka (a) great Hell, see naraka; -nāga a great elephant Dhp 312; Dhp-a IV 4; -nāma name of a plant Vin I 185; II 267; -niddā deep sleep Pv-a 47; -Nibbāna the great N. Dhp-a IV 110; -Niraya (a) great hell Pj II 309, 480; Pv-a 52. See Niraya and cf. Kirfel, Kosmographie der Inder 199, 200; -nīla sapphire Vv-a 111; -pañña very wise D III 158; A III 244; Dhp 352; Dhp-a IV 71; -patha high road D I 102; Snp 139; Dhp 58; Vism 235; Dhp-a I 445; -paduma a great lotus Ja V 39; also a vast number and hence a name of a Hell, cf. Divy 67; Kirfel, Kosmographie der Inder 205; -pitā grandfather Pv-a 107; -purisa a great man, a hero, a man born to greatness, a man destined by fate to be a Ruler or a {472} Saviour of the World. A being thus favoured by fate possesses (32) marks (lakkhaṇāni) by which people recognise his vocation or prophesy his greatness. A detailed list of these 32 marks (which probably date back to mythological origin and were originally attributed to Devas) is found at D II 17, 19, passim . — D III 287; Snp 1040 f.; Dhp 352; Miln 10; Pj II 184, 187 f., 223, 258, 357, 384 f. ; °lakkhaṇāni: D I 88, 105, 116; Snp 549, 1000 f.; Vism 234; Vv-a 315; Dhp-a II 41; -bhūta usually in plural °bhūta(ni) (cattāro) the 4 great elements (see bhūta), being paṭhavī, āpo, tejo, vāyo, D I 76; Nidd I 266; Vibh 13, 70 f.; Vism 366 f.; Tikap 39, 56 f., 74 f., 248 f.; Vibh-a 42, 169, 253. — See Cpd. 154, 268 f., and cf. dhātu 1; -bhoga great wealth, adjective wealthy Pv-a 3, 78; -maccha a great fish, sea monster J I 483; -mati very wise, clever Mhv 14, 22; 19, 84 (feminine °ī); 33, 100 (plural °ī); -matta [cf. Sanskrit mahāmātra] a king's chief minister alias Prime Minister "who was the highest Officer-of-State and real Head of the Executive" (Banerjea, Public Administration in Ancient India, 1916). His position is of such importance, that he even ranks as a rājā or king: Vin III 47 (rājā ... akkhadassā mahāmattā ye vā pana chejjabhejjaṃ anusāsanti ete rājāno nāma). Note: An accusative singular mahā-mattānaṃ we find at A I 154 (formed after the preceding rājānaṃ). — Vin I 74 (where two ranks are given: senā-nāyakā m.-mattā the m. of defence, and vohārikā m.-m. those of law); D I 7; II 88; III 64 (here with epithet khattiya); A I 154, 252, 279; III 128; Vin IV 224; Vism 121; Vibh-a 312 (in simile of two m.), 340; Pv-a 169. Cf. Fick. Soziale Gliederung 92, 99, 101; -muni great seer Snp 31; -megha a big cloud, thunder cloud M II 117; Snp 30; Vism 417; -yañña the great sacrifice D I 138 f., 141 (cf. A II 207); -yasa great fame Vv 21 6 ; Mhv 5, 22; -raṅga [cf. Sanskrit m.-rajana], safflower, used for dyeing Vin I 185 (sandals); II 267 (cloaks); -rājā great king, king, very frequent: see rājā; -rukkha a great tree Vism 413 (literally); Miln 254 (the same), otherwise the plant Euphorbia tortilis (cf. Zimmer, Altind. Leben 129); -lātā (°pasādhana) a lady's parure called "great creeper" Dhp-a I 392; Vv-a 165 (°pilandhana); same Pj II 520; -vātapāna main window Dhp-a IV 203; -vīṇā a great lute Vism 354; Vibh-a 58; -vīra (great) hero Snp 543, 562; -satta "the great being" or a Bodhisatta Vv-a 137 (v.l. Bodhisatta). [Cf. BHS mahāsattva, e.g. Jm 32]; -samudda the sea, the occean Mhv 19, 18; Vism 403; Pj II 30, 371; Pv-a 47; -sara a great lake; usually as satta-mahāsarā the 7 great lakes of the Himavant (see sara), enumerated e.g. at Vism 416; -sāra (of) great sap, i.e. great wealth, adjective very rich Ja I 463 (°kula, perhaps to be read mahāsāla-kula); -sāla (adjective) having great halls, especially of rich people (especially brāhmaṇas) D I 136, 235; III 16, 20; Ja II 272 (°kula); IV 237 (the same), 325 (the same); V 227 (the same); Pp 56; Vibh-a 519; Dhp-a III 193; -sāvaka [cf. BHS mahāśrāvaka Divy 489] a great disciple Vism 98 (asīti °ā); Dhp-a II 93; -senagutta title of a high official (Chancellor of the Exchequer?) Ja V 115; VI 2; -hatthi a large elephant M I 184 (°pada elephant's foot, as the largest of all animal feet), referred to as simile (°opama) at Vism 243, 347, 348. mahi° [mah'i°]: -iccha full of desire, lustful, greedy A IV 229; Thag 898; It 91; Ja I 8; II 441; -icchatā arrogance, ostentatiousness A IV 280; Vibh-a 472; -iddhika [mahā + iddhi + ka] of great power, always {527} combined with mah-ānubhāva to denote great influence, high position and majesty Vin I 31; II 193; III 101; D I 78, 180 (devatā), 213; S I 145 f.; II 155, 274 f., 284 f.; IV 323; V 265, 271 f., 288 f.; A V 129; Ja VI 483 (said of the Ocean); Pv-a 6, 136, 145; -inda (ghosa) literally the roar of the Great Indra, Indra here to be taken in his function as sky (rain) god, thus: the thunder of the rain-god Thag 1108. [Cf. BHS mahendra in °bhavana "the abode of the Great Indra," and var̥ṣa "the rain of the Great Indra" (here as rain-god), both at Avś I 210]; -issāsa [Sanskrit maheṣvāsa] great in the art of the bow, a great archer S I 185; Dhp-a I 358. mahe° [mahā + i]: -esakkha [mahā + īsa + khyaṃ; from īś] possessing great power or authority A II 204; III 244; Nidd II §503 2; Vism 419; Saddh 511. The BHS form is maheṣākhya evidently differing in its etymology. The Pāli etymology rests on the same grounds as esitatta in mahesi Dhp-a IV 232; -esi [mahā + isi; Sanskrit maharṣi] a great sage A II 26; Snp 208, 481, 646, 915, 1057, 1061; Thag 1132; Thig 149; Dhp 422 (explained at Dhp-a IV 232 as "mahantaṃ sīla-kkhandhādīnaṃ esitattā m." cf. the similar explanation at Nidd II §503); Nidd I 343; Vism 505; Vibh-a 110; Pv-a 1; -esiyā = mahesī Ja VI 483; -esī [in Pāli to be taken as mah + iś, as feminine to īsa, but in Sanskrit (Vedic) as feminine of mahiṣa, buffalo] chief queen, king's first wife, king's consort; also the wife of a great personage Ja II 410; V 45; VI 425; Pp 56; Mhv 2, 22 (plural mahesiyo); Vv-a 184 (sixteen). Usually as agga-mahesī, e.g. Ja I 262; III 187, 393; V 88; -esitta state of chief consort, queenship Ja V 443; Pv II 13 10 ; Thig-a 37; Vv-a 102; -eseyya = °esitta Ja V 91. maho [mahā + u, or + o]: -ogha the great flood (see ogha) Snp 4, 945; Dhp 47, 287; Dhp-a III 433; -odadhi the (great) ocean, the sea Snp 720, 1134; Miln 224; Mhv 18, 8; -odara big belly Ja VI 358 (addressing a king's minister -odika full of water, having much water; deep, full (of a river) Snp 319; Ja II 159; Miln 346; -oraga [m. + uraga] a great snake Ja V 165.