mahat , nt. of Skt. mahant (possibly adv. ), great (greatly?) ; used in Epic Skt. ( BR s.v. ) instead of ( acc. ) masc. , allegedly m.c. ; so possibly (but not m.c. ; end of line of vs ) nom. , narako dāruṇo mahat Mv i.179.14 (or adv. , greatly? this usage has not been found recorded); perh. also mahad viśāradaḥ Mv i.179.6 , but here mahad- may be stem form in comp. , = normal Skt. mahā-; see § 18.3 for other cases of this.
mahat a. [ mah-ati ] ( compar. mahIyas ; superl. mahizWa ; nom. mahAn , mahAMtO, mahAMtaH ; acc. pl. mahataH ) 1 Great, big, large, huge, vast; mahAn siMhaH , vyAGraH &c. 2 Ample, copious, abundant, many, numerous; mahAjanaH , mahAn dravyarASiH . 3 Long, extended, extensive; mahAMtO bAhU yasya sa mahAbAhuH ; so mahatI kaTA, mahAnaDvA . 4 Strong, powerful, mighty; as mahAn vIraH . 5 Violent, intense, excessive; mahatI SirovedanA, mahatI pipAsA . 6 Gross, thick, dense; mahAnaMDakAraH . 7 Important, weighty, momentous; mahatkAryamupasTitaM, mahatI vArtA . 8 High, lofty, eminent, distinguished, noble; mahatkulaM, mahAYjanaH . 9 Loud; mahAn GozaH -DvaniH . 10 Early or late; mahati pratyUze ‘early in the morning’; mahatyaparAhRe ‘late in the afternoon.’ 11 High; mahArGa . — m. 1 A camel. 2 An epithet of Śiva. 3 (In Sān. phil. ) The great principle, the intellect (distinguished from manas ), the second of the twenty-five elements or tattvas . recognized by the Sāṃkhyas; Ms. 12. 14 ; Sāṅ. K. 3 , 8 , 22 &c. 4 The superior of a monastery. — n. 1 Greatness, infiniteness, numerousness. 2 Kingdom, dominion. 3 Sacred knowledge. — ind. Greatly, excessively, very much, exceedingly. ( Note . mahat as the first member of a Tatpuruṣa compound and a few other cases, remains unchanged, while in Karmadhāraya and Bahuvrīhi comp. it is changed to mahA q. v. ). Comp. — AvAsaH a spacious or large building. — ASA a high hope. — AScarya a. very wonderful. — ASrayaH dependence on or seeking protection with the great. — kaTa a. talked of or mentioned by the great, in great men's mouths. — kzetra a. occupying a wide territory. — guRa a. having the qualities of the great. — tattvaM the second of the 25 principles of the Sāṃkhyas. — bilaM the atmosphere. — sevA service of the great. — sTAnaM ( pb ) a high place, lofty station.